Alexander Volkanovski thinks he has more work to do before getting a third chance to become a two-division UFC champion, but the idea is starting to linger.
The 155-pound landscape changed at UFC Freedom 250 when Justin Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) dethroned Ilia Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in an all-time upset at the White House, and now all sorts of options are in play.
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Gaethje recently declared he would not be retiring after teasing a potential exit from MMA following his win, so now the plans can be made for his future.
Volkanovski (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) admits he probably doesn’t factor into the equation right now, but if he gets through an expected title defense vs. Movsar Evloev later this year, then his perspective could change.
“Do I go up? People ask me, ‘Would you do it?’ Of course I’d do it. I’m going to call it if I feel like I deserve it,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “You’ve seen when I was defending my belt five times before I asked for the double champ, and then had the fight with Islam (Makhachev). That’s just how it is. I lost the belt, got the belt back, defended against (Diego) Lopes – does that put me in a position to go get another chance?
“I’m not going to call for it. That’s the type of champion I am. I think you need to earn it, but if the UFC wants to offer it? Of course. See two 38-year-old fellas go at it in the lightweight division. 100 percent. Of course I would.”
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The two-time featherweight titleholder came up short in his first bid at two-division glory in February 2023 when he lost a Fight of the Year contender to Makhachev at UFC 284. He then got a second crack on short notice at UFC 294 in October 2023, only to be knocked out by a head kick in just over three minutes.
Volkanovski thinks that Arman Tsarukyan is currently the rightful top lightweight contender and would be the correct choice for Gaethje’s first defense. That said, Volkanovski acknowledges that Tsarukyan’s unpredictable nature could always become a variable that plays to his benefit.
“Arman should be next, but when you’re not doing what the UFC (likes) and not being a company man, you can be punished for it,” Volkanovski said. “We’ll see what happens.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Alexander Volkanovski would accept UFC champ clash vs. Justin Gaethje
