Volkanovski previews UFC 319 co-main event with featherweight title implications

Volkanovski previews UFC 319 co-main event with featherweight title implications originally appeared on The Sporting News

UFC 319  features two rising featherweight contenders looking to make a statement in front of a raucous Chicago crowd.

Lerone Murphy and Aaron Pico will do battle as the lead into the much anticipated Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev title fight.

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Watching on will be Australia's own featherweight champion, Alex Volkanovski, who has labelled the bout as a potential number one contender fight.

"I’ve got my eye on this one," he said in a breakdown on his Youtube chanel.

"I could be facing the winner."

Pico, who was recently signed from the PFL, was supposed to fight undefeated Russian Movsar Evloev less than a month ago in Abu Dhabi.

However, Evloev was forced to withdraw and Pico was rescheduled against Murphy.

Murphy, who's also undefeated, enters the bout with eight UFC wins under his belt.

Volkanovski pointed to UFC president Dana White's declaration that the Pico-Evloev winner would be next in line for the belt, and believes that recognition should also be afforded to Murphy.

"Dana White said when Movsar [Evloev] was fighting [Aaron] Pico, most likely the winner was who I’d face," he said.

Despite taking note of Pico's wrestling and devastating knockout power, especially in the boxing range, Volkanovski believes that it's Murphy who will have his hand raised when all is said and done.

"I think Lerone Murphy is that guy. I think he might lose earlier rounds, and then just start to do work," he said.

"I’m going with the underdog here and I could be facing him. Whether it’s later in the year, maybe December."

"I’m already seeing things that I’ll do [in that matchup]."

Volkanovski reclaimed his featherweight title at UFC 314 back in April against a surging Diego Lopes.