Alexander Volkanovski pours cold water on rumored featherweight matchup, gives update on next fight
Alexander Volkanovski has addressed the speculation surrounding a potential fight with rising featherweight prospect Diego Lopes, shutting down rumors and confirming that he is focused on a title shot next. 'The Great' remains uncertain about the timing of his return but has two clear options.
One possibility is a rematch with champion Ilia Topuria in Topuria’s home country of Spain, where the fighter is looking to headline a major event at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu.
The second option is a fight at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia, scheduled for February 2025. Volkanovski has expressed his readiness to stay in shape and is preparing for a potential camp:
“Could Sydney still be an option? If so, I will make sure I stay fit… I will be getting close to the camp now anyway… So I will just get stuck into it. Stuck into training and we’ll see what happens. Nothing is locked in yet but we’ll see."
While Volkanovski confirmed that a title fight is his primary focus, he dismissed any talk of facing Lopes, stating that the rumors likely stemmed from fans speculating about Lopes' suggestion for a Sydney showdown:
“I think that was just, he’s obviously said let’s do it in Sydney and I think people just ran with that but there’s no talks of that at all. Ahh, you never know, right? But NO! Obviously, we are fighting for the title, so that’s where we are going to mainly focus but we will see what happens. But there’s definitely nothing like that locked in.”
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below:
Alexander Volkanovski looks back at his UFC 298 fight with Ilia Topuria
Alexander Volkanovski opened up about his loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, stating his only regret was a lack of preparation leading into the bout. The former featherweight champion, who suffered a second-round knockout, had faced a grueling schedule, fighting just four months after a loss to Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title match.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Volkanovski shared his thoughts on taking the fight despite limited training time:
"No. I don't think I regret it... That's who I am. That's what's made me the the champion I was. A lot of people think it's just a bad idea, but if you look at it going in, that's me challenging myself."
However, he admitted that his preparation fell short:
“The only thing I regret is, I wish I was, especially before the Islam one, I just wish I was more prepared. I wish I was training more and in a better position… Me fighting so soon later, maybe I just didn't get to fight my fight. Doesn't mean [Topuria] couldn't catch me. It doesn't mean that I wouldn't be able to be knocked out, and I was only knocked out because of what happened with Islam. I would've been a lot more comfortable and happy with myself if I was able to fight my fight and go into camp, not avoiding contact and being careful with things."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below: