ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI completed a sensational body transformation to make weight for his short-notice rematch with lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.
The featherweight king was drafted in on 11 days’ notice to replace the injured Charles Oliveira, who suffered a gruesome cut above his right eyebrow, and save UFC 294’s main event.
Alexander Volkanovski renews his rivalry with Islam Makhachev on Saturday nightGETTY
Volk weighed 181lbs before he accepted the short-notice lightweight fight on 11 days’ noticeINSTAGRAM@ALEXVOLKANOVSKI
He dropped an incredible 26lbs to make championship weightINSTAGRAM@ALEXVOLKANOVSKI
Volkanovski weighed a whopping 181lbs when he got to the call to replace Oliveira – a staggering 26lbs over the lightweight title fight weight limit.
MMA fans around the world were concerned about the gruelling short-notice cut the Aussie would have to undergo in order to finalise the eagerly-anticipated rematch.
But ‘The Great’ had no problems dropping the weight, tipping the scales at 154.4lbs in Abu Dhabi early this morning.
The 35-year-old’s slightly protruding belly has been replaced by lean and mean abs, although the lack of water in his body at the weigh-ins meant they weren’t as full.
UFC fans were quick to comment on Volk’s incredible, but ultimately successful, short-notice weight cut.
One wrote on X: “Light work, LFG [let’s f***ing go].”
Another said: “This man was 182 lbs 12 days ago.
“F***ing amazing what these guys put themselves through to make weight.”
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Alexander Volkanovski weighed in at 154.5lbs for his second crack at lightweight goldGETTY
And another said: “Volk cut 26lbs in 12 days. Impressive!”
One remarked: “The guy is elite, he’s special forces.”
Another chimed in: “If he wins tomorrow, they should make a movie about this guy.”
As he made his way off the scales, Volkanovski said: “26.5lbs in 11 days, too easy. Let’s go.”
Volkanovski came up short in his bid to become a double champion against Makhachev back in February, suffering a unanimous decision defeat to the Russian.
And he jumped at the opportunity to exact revenge when the UFC matchmakers put the emergency call into him.
He said: “It’s high risk but high reward, that’s how I look at it.
“That’s why I’ve been busting myself for the past 12 years so I can be that guy who can do things like this.
“Some history-making kind of stuff and have a legacy that people will be talking about for a very long time.”
GETTYAlexander Volkanovski came up short in his Perth punch-up with Islam Makhachev in February[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
