"Good point by Volk" - Fans react as Alexander Volkanovski speculates what’s holding up Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria
Alexander Volkanovski's thoughts on Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria being signed have created a buzz among fans and pundits. Meanwhile, Makhachev's friend Belal Muhammed is set to make his first welterweight title defense at UFC 315 against Jack Della Maddalena, with the probability that the Dagestani is waiting to see the result before making a move.
Maddalena's win could intrigue Makhachev to jump straight to the welterweight division and be less interested in defending his lightweight belt. The uncertainty has only fueled speculation about what the UFC is planning.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Volkanovski said:
"You've got the Belal situation... If Jack Della Maddalena wins that fight, Islam's moving up. Let's be real. Islam is moving up straight away. Is that what they're waiting for? There's a lot of moving parts right now."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments in the video below:
The featherweight division has no champion after Topuria vacated his title, leading to Volkanovski being booked against Diego Lopes at UFC 314 for the vacant belt. The chaos recently doubled with the news of Dan Hooker pulling out of his fight with Justin Gaethje in March, with Rafael Fiziev stepping up to face 'The Highlight' for a rematch.
With all these last-minute changes, fans are wondering about the UFC's next move. A fan responded to Volkanovski's comments:
"Good point by Volk but I really want to see Illa vs. Islam"
Another fan said:
"Good thing jack has zero chance."
Some fans added:
"Ilia ducked Lopez and now Arman [Tsarukyan].. He is cowrrddd"
"Dang Belal already said he’s not moving up after this one so… maybe 'JDM' winning wouldn’t be so bad. Makhachev needs a second belt"
Others wrote:
"JDM won't beat Belal"
"Belal is gonna make sure Islam can’t run from Ilia… “Remember the Name” 50-43 incoming"
Check out more fan comments below:
![Fan comments on Alex Volkanovski's opinion [Screenshots courtesy: @arielhelwani on X]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/b4f5e-17406904387903-1920.jpg?w=500)
Alexander Volkanovski opens up on near-retirement thoughts
Alexander Volkanovski recently admitted that he had been teetering for a long time. The double KO in his most recent two fights had him thinking about giving up the sport for good and retiring. He said:
"But after the two knockouts, I'm like, you know what? I made the decision and accepted the decision to have a proper break. That wasn’t my decision previously. I wanted to fight, and I was getting held back, and I was still doing the full training schedule with nothing really in sight. And that was just weird for me."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (15:19):