Alexander Volkanovski revealed that his dream outdoor adventure with Islam Makhachev is officially being planned: 🗣️ "I love the idea of Islam Makhachev, doing it with him. We’ve already chatted about it. So I’m going to go to Dagestan, in the mountains, horseback hunting, catching whatever we catch and then cooking it, literally over a wood fire, camping out. This is something that we’ve already planned... I’m telling you, it’s going to happen." After sharing 35 minutes of absolute war inside the cage across two world title fights, Volk and Islam are turning mutual respect into pure cinema. The special Dagestan edition of Cooking With Volk is going to break the MMA internet. @Kalshi is giving Alexander Volkanovski a 52% chance to close out the year as the Featherweight champion.
Alexander Volkanovski says a hunting and camping trip to Dagestan with Islam Makhachev is no longer just talk. The Australian featherweight champion said the two have already discussed the idea and that it is going to happen.
Volkanovski described the plan in detail: horseback hunting in the Dagestan mountains, catching whatever they can and cooking it over a wood fire while camping out. He said the trip is something they have already planned, adding that he is certain it will take place. The outing would be a special Dagestan edition of his Cooking With Volk series.
The two fighters share a deep history. They fought twice for the lightweight title, and the pair shared roughly 35 minutes inside the cage across those meetings.
The fighters
Volkanovski, 38, is 28-4 and holds the featherweight title. The Freestyle Fighting Gym product from Australia is ranked third in the pound-for-pound standings, and his striking volume stands out: he lands 5.99 significant strikes per minute at 57 percent accuracy. He stands five-foot-six with a 71-inch reach.
Makhachev, 34, is 29-1 and a champion at welterweight. The Russian southpaw trains with Eagles MMA and carries a grappling-heavy profile, averaging 3.22 takedowns and 0.9 submission attempts per 15 minutes. He lands 2.27 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy and stands five-foot-ten with a 70-inch reach.
Why it matters
- The trip shows how a fierce rivalry has turned into mutual respect between two of the sport's top champions.
- It would give Volkanovski's cooking content a major guest in a setting far from a typical fight-week appearance.
- Volkanovski is currently rated at 52 percent by Kalshi to finish the year as featherweight champion.
