Alexander Volkanovski, once on a 12-fight win streak in the UFC, now sits on three losses from his last four fights since 2023. As he makes his way to Miami to headline UFC 314 in a bid to secure the featherweight title against Diego Lopes, analyst Chael Sonnen believes he’s also fighting for his career. Former double champ Daniel Cormier asserts Volk already knows it.
Joined by co-host Cormier on ESPN’s Good Guy/Bad Guy show, Sonnen claims that should he lose the fight, he will not only never fight for UFC gold again, but the Aussie will also be hearing a lot of retirement talk from fans and analysts alike.
Volkanovski has already had a stellar career that only fell off a couple of years ago when his ambitions of becoming a two-division champion got the better of him. Two consecutive losses to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, followed by losing his featherweight title to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298.
Sonnen argues that some fighters don’t hang up their gloves after losing titles but instead end up working in the midcards as the light of their careers mellows out gradually like a dying sun. DC, however, doesn’t believe that is going to be the case with Volkanovski.
“I don’t see Alexander Volkanovski as one of those champions that sticks around to make money but loses 5, 4, 3, 6 in a row. I think Tony Ferguson might have lost 7 or 8 in a row before he left the UFC. I don’t see Alex Volkanovski as one of those guys”, he said with conviction.
‘El Cucuy’ Ferguson was once on the top of the division, with a 12-fight win streak, similar to that of Volk. He was an incredibly talented specimen that would give fans a show every single time- to the point where he was touted to be the one to defeat 29-0 fighter Khabib Nurmagomev.
Unfortunately, time and the sport itself would catch up to Tony, and the fighter would skid down to an 8-fight losing streak, sliding down towards the bottom of the lightweight rankings before leaving the promotion for a GFL contract.
To ensure he doesn’t suffer the same fate, Volk first must defeat Lopes at UFC 314 – an easier proposition on paper, especially with the ever-mounting pressure of the walls closing in on his career.
“When I am trying to look at it and analyse it and think about it, ‘who’s got the pressure’ and pressure matters… Pressure creates fatigue. And in a sport that’s built around exhaustion, you don’t want to be the one to get tired first“, Sonnen said, analysing Volkanovski’s mindset before the fight.
Volkanovski, however, doesn’t seem to be exhibiting any signs of said pressure. In fact, he wants to continue paving the path for the newer generation of featherweights to follow.
Volk and Lopes both promise Evloev title shot
With a 19-0 record to his name, Movsar Evloev was widely favored to be the next in line for a title shot, but since the UFC hasn’t recognized that, Volk and Lopes would like to set the record straight.
Both UFC 314 headliners have claimed that should they emerge victorious at UFC 314, they would like to turn around and have a quick title defense against Evloev.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani last month, Volk had asserted that Evloev definitely deserved a chance to fight for UFC gold.
“I’m telling you that I’m gonna go out there and I’m gonna win the belt and I’ll call out (Movsar Evloev) so he can probably wait if he wants to. I’m winning that title and I’ll fight him three months later…” he had said.
Earlier last week, Lopes also told MMA Junkie the exact same thing.
“I’m so excited for the next step, but my focus is on Volkanovski. I win the belt, and I will ask the UFC for the fight with Movsar”, he promised.
So, regardless of who wins on UFC 314, Evloev is fighting for the title sometime in August-September.
