Alex Volkanovski on emergency standby for UFC 240 main event

The UFC is protecting itself in case of a weigh-in mishap or last-second injury to the main event of Saturday’s UFC 240. Top featherweight contender Alexander Volkanovski is in Edmonton and on emergency standby in case something happens to headliners Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar at the official weigh-ins. Volkanovski is expected to weigh in and would jump in to fight in an emergency situation.

TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter broke the news.

I spoke with UFC VP Marc Ratner who said that Alex Volkanovski is here and the expectation is that he will weigh in and in the event that a replacement is needed for the main event, he is on standby.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) July 26, 2019

“I spoke with UFC VP Marc Ratner who said that Alex Volkanovski is here and the expectation is that he will weigh in and in the event that a replacement is needed for the main event, he is on standby.” – Aaron Bronsteter on Twitter

Volkanovski is the obvious next man in line for a title shot at 145lbs, so it makes perfect sense why he’s been asked to come to Edmonton and weigh-in just in case something happens to either Holloway or Edgar. We haven’t seen Edgar miss weight before, but we do know that Holloway has struggled at times in the past to make the featherweight limit safely. In case something does happen, Volkanovski would jump in and get a chance to fight for the title. The Aussie has a 20-1 record in MMA, and is a perfect 7-0 in the UFC alone.

Many thought Alex Volkanovski would get a title shot anyways after he bested Jose Aldo back at UFC 237 in May in Brazil. But the UFC instead went with Edgar, rewarding him for being a company man and all of his years in the Octagon. In the worst-case scenario where either Edgar or Holloway had to pull out of Saturday’s title fight, Volkanovski would be ready to step in and save the card.

The UFC doesn’t always have a standby fighter ready to go, but the fact they do for this card is a good sign, and hopefully it’s a trend going forward.

Do you think the UFC should always have a standby fighter ready for its main events?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/26/2019.