Volkanovski says he's still UFC No 1 and wants Makhachev rematch to prove it


John McAuley
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Alexander Volkanovski believes he is still the pound-for-pound No 1 male fighter in the UFC, and has called for an immediate rematch with Islam Makhachev so he can prove it.

The featherweight champion lost narrowly to the welterweight belt-holder in a gripping contest at 155lbs at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, on Sunday after moving up a division to chase "double-champ" status.

Volkanovski, who went into the bout at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings, lost by unanimous decision to the then-No 2 – his first defeat in 23 professional fights.

The Australian, 25-2 in pro MMA, said after the bout that he watched it back and felt he won Rounds 2, 3 and 5.

On Monday night, Volkanovski doubled down on that opinion, telling The MMA Hour that he still felt he deserved to be regarded as the sport’s No 1 male athlete. When the updated rankings where later released, he remained at the summit.

“A lot of people thought I won that fight; I thought I won that fight, and I moved up,” Volkanovski said. “We’re talking about pound-for-pound. Imagine if we were in the same weight class.

“I don’t want to be that guy, but if he was just a featherweight in my division, I’d squash him… it’s a walk in the park. No offence to him, but that’s legit.

“I think I still proved I’m the better fighter and I’m pound-for-pound No. 1. But that’s not up to me.”

Volkanovski, already regarded by many as the greatest featherweight of all-time, gave Makhachev the toughest test to date of his 25-fight pro career, with the Dagestani conceding as much afterwards.

Volkanovski is expected to next step back down to 145 lbs to defend his title against new interim champion Yair Rodriguez, but said an immediate rematch against Makhachev should happen to settle any lingering doubts as to who is the superior fighter.

“Yeah, 100 per cent,” Volkanovski said. “He’s already talked to the press that he wants to do the rematch. He went back to his corner [after the fight] before they announced who the winner was - obviously it was a close fight - but I think he thought he might’ve lost.

“He was even saying he needs a rematch to his corner when he went back to his corner. He thought he lost… he knows. I’m not taking anything away. It was a close fight.”

Speaking following the victory on Sunday, Makhachev denied he had told his corner he thought the decision would go to Volkanovski. Now boasting the longest active win streak in the UFC (12), Makhachev said he will wait to hear from Dana White, the promotion's president, as to whom he fights next.

Volkanovski, whose own legitimacy as featherweight champion was questioned following two close wins against former champion Max Holloway – he then won the trilogy bout convincingly - said of his chances of a rematch with Makhachev: “I think it depends on him. He knows that this is going to leave a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths.

“I’ve been there before. I know what it feels like, and he’s going to want to prove it to people. I would if I was in his position. I wouldn’t be happy with that. If he doesn’t [want the rematch], we know why.”

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Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)

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Points to remember
  • Debate the issue, don't attack the person
  • Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
  • Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
  • Listen actively without interrupting
  • Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
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The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
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Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
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The Details

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Key changes

Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

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The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

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3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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Expected completion: 2022

Height: 24 meters

Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people

Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people

First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time

First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres  

Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres

Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor 

Updated: March 01, 2023, 1:34 PM`