Alexander Volkanovski, the longtime former UFC featherweight champion, is laser-focused on his intentions to reclaim his title. After a knockout loss to Ilya Topuria at UFC 298 in February, Volkanovski has been biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to return to the sport The defeat ended his four-year reign at 145 pounds, leaving many wondering what his next move would be it would have been. Volkanovski is at crossroads after losing three of his last four fights, including two failed attempts to win the lightweight title from Islam Makhachev.
In an interview with Sky Sports New Zealand, Volkanovski revealed his decision to wait for the winner of Ilya Topuria’s title defense against Max Holloway at UFC 308. Scheduled for October 26, the fight is a pivotal moment for the featherweight division. Volkanovski’s mind is clear: “That’s what happens. So I can wait, or if I don’t want to wait, I can do something else. Or I can just wait, and the UFC has made that clear. Obviously, maybe that.” and what.” I.” I’m going to go.
Lightweight Bait
Volkanovski acknowledged the appeal of going lighter for a possible marquee matchup but stressed the risks involved. “I could maybe fight light. There’s a lot of exciting fights, but the UFC aren’t big fans of floating. If you want to go lightweight you might have to stay there, then I can lose that featherweight so I’ll do it.” you just have to wait two months.”
Unfinished Business in the Featherweight Department
Despite the test, Volkanovski is determined not to leave the featherweight division without another shot at the title. He still has unfinished business, whether it’s a rematch with Topuria or a fourth fight against Max Holloway, who he’s already defeated three times. Volkanovski thought, “Who am I going to fight? Obviously, Ilya got it on me. I want it back. But at the end of the day, I want that belt back, too.”
Tough Call for UFC 308
As for the upcoming fight, Volkanovski is leaning on Holloway but not on the possibility of Topuria. “And who do I think will win? Probably Max. But again, it’s a tough fight. Ilia has some hands on her, she’s not easily shaken, she’ll come forward, she’ll seek the end all the way through that fight, but I think Max is right.” going to be a little bit too much for Ilya but when Ilya gets through he’s proven himself, but then I’ll just take it back from him.
No Time for a Few Fights
Volkanovski makes it clear that he won’t fight anything just to keep busy. The features are very large. “I obviously knew about that [matchup] beforehand. I told them I wanted a break as it happened, so maybe I wanted to fight later in the year and they said maybe they would. I thought it would happen for a while.” in the past, But it happened on a date where I was like, ‘Well, maybe I can come back here.’ , I can’t just be active and fight, or just wait for the title.”
