‘3 Months Later’: Alexander Volkanovski Plans Showdown Against 19–0 UFC Star, Confident He’ll Win the Title First

Alexander Volkanovski has already made plans for how his second run as UFC featherweight champion would look like. He is gearing up to take on Diego Lopes and reclaim the title recently vacated by Ilia Topuria. The headline matchup of UFC 314 in April will reset the division’s pecking order for sure, and Volkanovski wants to be at the top.

The former champ had a solid grip on the division, racking up four successful title defenses before Ilia Topuria knocked him out at UFC 298 last year. Since then, Volkanovski has been on the sidelines.

There’s been plenty of debate over whether Lopes deserves this shot or not. Sure, he’s on a five-fight win streak, with three of those wins coming against ranked opponents. But there is a blip too.

Lopes lost to Movsar Evloev in his UFC debut back in 2023. And, Evloev has been on an absolute tear, boasting a perfect 19-0 record and stacking up nine straight UFC wins, including victories over Aljamain Sterling and Arnold Allen. That has prompted demands from fans that he should be fighting for the title too.

However, Volkanovski is determined to remind the world just how dominant he can be. He is keen to get back to winning ways after his losses to Topuria and Islam Makhachev. So, if he reclaims the title at UFC 314, he’s not planning on taking any long breaks. Volk has already called out Evloev for a potential title defense.

“I’m winning the belt and I’ll call him out. He can wait if he wants, but I’m gonna talk to the UFC. I’ll let them know, I’ll fight him three months later,” Volkanovski told Ariel Helwani.

“Just tell me the date, and I’ll make it happen… I think Movsar definitely deserves a shot too,” he added.

If Volkanovski follows through, 2025 could be a busy year for him and a nightmare for anyone trying to take that belt away again. When he held the featherweight belt, Volk was one of the most active champions in the organization.

So he’s not making any false promises here. Volkanovksi will be just going back to doing what he knows best — to fight and defend his belt as much as often as he can.

However, we may not be seeing Volkanovski fighting for too long. In the same interview with Helwani, the Aussie fighter revealed that he has retirement plans.

Volk’s started talking about life after fighting career

While Volkanovski is focused on reclaiming his title, his long-term future in the sport is an unknown variable.

Speaking with Helwani, Volkanovski admitted that after his next two or three fights, the 36-year-old could see himself walking away from the sport. He’s tempted by the idea of retiring while being on top.

“I’m expecting to have a couple more, a few more. We’ll see. I’ll say that, and then have a fight and absolutely love it. ‘Give me another seven’,” Volk joked.

“But how much longer? I still love it, but how much longer do I want to do this to myself and my body? I do want to eventually sail off into the sunset, right?” He added.

Volkanovski explained that he’s already started thinking about life after fighting. Over the past year, he’s spent time on his farm and enjoyed stepping away from the sport, allowing himself to grow in different ways outside of MMA.

However, he still feels the urge to make one final run. He plans to reclaim the featherweight title, defend it at least once, maybe even twice, and take on one last big fight before officially calling it quits.

If everything goes according to plan, 2025 could be the last time fans see Volkanovski inside the octagon. But first, he has unfinished business of getting that belt back around his waist.