It’s not just the UFC cover curse that threatens to spoil things for Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, but there’s another curse lingering around the featherweight champ that could lead to his downfall, and that is the 35-and-over curse.
The over-35 curse has become a real deal in the world of mixed martial arts. Fighters over the age of 35 and between the flyweight and welterweight limit have only won twice in the last 33 title fights. A record of 2-31 certainly raises some concern for Volkanovski fans.
A 35-year-old UFC fighter has never won a title in the flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight or even lightweight division. The rare feat came in the welterweight division when Tyron Woodley won a title fight after turning 35. He has done it twice.
The last time, Colby Covington failed to get his hands on the welterweight gold after losing a unanimous decision against Leon Edwards back at UFC 296. He was 35 at the time.
Alexander Volkanovski fighting curses at UFC 298
Alexander Volkanovski is not just fighting for redemption after losing two of his last three fights but will also look to shut out some fans who have been taking jibes at Volkanovski‘s age. However, former champion Michael Bisping believes there’s not much to worry about for Volkanovski.
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“I don’t think this curse necessarily applies. Numbers don’t lie, it’s a stat. But it doesn’t mean it’s a hard and fast rule.” Bisiping said on Volkanovski’s chances against Ilia Topuria.
The UFC featherweight champion has looked impressive in his last few fights, and barring the KO loss against Islam Makhachev, the Australian fighter has shown no signs of weakness inside the cage.
Stepping inside the Octagon four months since the Makhachev loss and against a formidable and young opponent like Ilia Tipuria certainly feels like a daunting task. But for someone like Alexander Volkanovski, he has been in these moments way too many times to be overwhelmed by the whole situation.
The Great Alexander Volkanovski had no answers for the UFC cover curse and has already fallen prey to the over-35 curse once. Can he beat the statistics? Only time will tell.