Alexander Volkanovski puts his UFC featherweight title on the line on Oct. 24, headlining UFC 333 versus undefeated contender Movsar Evloev in Abu Dhabi, and welcomes another shot at the lightweight title in 2027.
Down 0-2 in title bouts at 155 pounds against then-champion Islam Makhachev, getting stopped early in a short-notice rematch after a competitive effort in their first clash, Volkanovski entertains the idea of facing off with Justin Gaethje, who captured the title with a violent finish of Ilia Topuria at UFC White House in June.
“Imagine that,” Volkanovski said in an interview with Who The Fook Are These Guys. “You do that as like a send off, Gaethje and Volk, ‘cause he’s talking about… Does he want to fight still? He’s like, maybe one more, then that could be like a super fight. Let’s do a super fight, lightweight title on the line and then we can both see everyone off with a crazy super fight.”
The UFC has yet to announce who will be next in line for Gaethje’s belt in 2027, with Arman Tsarukyan waiting on the sidelines following a first-round knockout over Mauricio Ruffy and BMF champion Charles Oliveira battling Diego Lopes on Dec. 12 with eyes on the gold.
“[Gaethje is] sitting there and goes, ‘Ah, what’s the point of doing rematches and all that?’ I’m like, oh, let’s do a super fight,” Volkanovski said. “Let’s do it. And then, straight after that, let the divisions sort themselves out, you know what I mean? And UFC will be happy with that. There you go, let’s make that happen.”
Volkanovski has a tricky test ahead of him next, though, battling 20-0 contender Evloev in Abu Dhabi. Not only he thinks he defends his title to surpass Jose Aldo for most featherweight title defenses in UFC history with nine, Volkanovski is confident he does so with a stoppage.
“We know what he wants to do,” Volkanovski said of Evloev. “He wants to grab a hold of me and hold me down, and that ain’t happening. He’s going to be forced to be on the feet and let’s see if he can handle that. And I’m going to be putting it on him. I’m not sitting back waiting, I’m going to be forcing a fight, and I think we get a finish, boys. I really do.”