UFC considering Alexander Volkanovski doubleheader in 3 months to save Toronto card
It appears as though Alexander Volkanovski is looking to remain active in a big way as he intends to keep two UFC divisions busy.
The reigning UFC featherweight champion agreed to replace Charles Oliveira and challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship on only 10 days' notice. During today's episode of The MMA Hour, host Ariel Helwani mentioned he was told that 'The Great' already has his sights set on a three-month turnaround to save the Toronto card.
Helwani said:
"The UFC's plan is, if Volkanovski wins and he's healthy, he would fight Topuria in January...If Volkanovski loses, there is an option on the table for Topuria/Holloway, possibly for an interim title."
The 35-year-old had been rumored to be defending his featherweight championship against Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada. He will be competing in his third bout of 2023 and has been open about wanting to remain active in the prime years of his career.
'The Great' had the home crowd advantage at UFC 284, and now the lightweight champion will have a similar advantage when they fight in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294. It will be interesting to see whether the UFC will push for a trilogy bout should Alexander Volkanovski defeat Islam Makhachev rather than defend his featherweight championship.
What happened when Alexander Volkanovski challenged Islam Makhachev at UFC 284?
Alexander Volkanovski attempted to etch his name in the history books and join the list of fighters to hold two UFC championships simultaneously when he challenged Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship.
It was a very entertaining back-and-forth bout, which saw Makhachev make his first successful title defense following a controversial unanimous decision. Both fighters earned a post-fight bonus for Fight of the Night and the bout is regarded by many as one of the best MMA fights of the year.
'The Great' ended up bouncing back from the loss as he successfully retained his featherweight championship following an impressive third-round TKO win over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.
