Alexander Volkanovski reacts to UFC Sydney main event as fans take issue with announcement

Alexander Volkanovski and the fans shared their initial thoughts on a big lightweight matchup.

It was officially announced on October 27 that Quillan Salkilld will face Benoit Saint-Denis in the main event of UFC Sydney next February.

After Salkilld submitted Mateusz Gamrot last time out, he now has the opportunity to put himself in the title picture and do so on home soil.

These stakes are exactly what ‘The Great’ highlighted when he shared his reaction to the fight, though many fans pointed out something different.

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Alexander Volkanovski predicts Quillan Salkilld win as fans call out UFC’s two rankings systems

Alexander Volkanovski defeated Movsar Evloev on Saturday in Abu Dhabi before returning home to Australia shortly after.

After producing one of the best wins of his career, he’s expecting to see a statement victory from his fellow countryman in the main event of UFC Sydney on February 6.

“We were talking about how stacked that division is,” Volkanovski told UFC AUSNZ. “A win against ‘BSD’ [Saint-Denis], he [Salkilld] should be fighting your Ilia’s [Topuria], Paddy’s [Pimblett], and all that, and then fighting for a title. How could he not? So, that’s huge. He’s on a tear. I like ‘BSD’, Quillan smokes him.”

Fans reacted well to this matchup being booked at lightweight, though many took issue with one aspect of the graphic used in the announcement.

The UFC Meta rankings were updated yesterday, though the media ones haven’t been at this stage, with the promotion continuing to use both systems for the time being.

As a result, the fight announcement graphic displays both Salkilld and Saint-Denis as being ranked #6 in the lightweight division, though they each hold this spot in different sets of rankings.

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‘I don’t understand the decision to alternate between the media rankings and the Meta rankings full stop,’ commented one fan. But, why would you deliberately choose to put the media rank next to one guy and the Meta rank next to their opponent on the same poster when they both have them ranked 6?’

While some argued that this ‘Makes no sense at all’, another user argued that it does make sense to promote how close they are in the rankings, but that the UFC should still ‘pick Meta or media’.

Others offered more humorous reactions to this aspect of the announcement.

‘Ah yes, rank 6 vs rank 6,’ said one commenter, with another adding, ‘We will find out which is a better ranking system. Who is the true #6.’

‘It’s an interim to decide the undisputed rank 6,’ remarked one fan.