Alexander Volkanovski has his eyes on one final shot at UFC lightweight gold, and he is willing to retire regardless of the outcome if the promotion makes it happen.
Volkanovski delivered one of the best performances of his career at UFC 333 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, stopping previously undefeated Movsar Evloev with a second-round TKO in the main event. The featherweight champion used his ground-and-pound to secure the finish after a competitive opening round, adding another impressive victory to his already legendary résumé.
The win further strengthened Volkanovski’s case as one of the greatest featherweights in MMA history. Speaking at the UFC 333 post-fight press conference, the 38-year-old made it clear that he was pleased with the performance.
“Very happy,” Volkanovski said. “I wouldn’t mind watching it back, but to get a finish over an undefeated prospect like that—again, he’s a great fighter, but I just knew that I had the skills to make it very hard for him. I wanted to get the finish, I believed I could get the finish, and here we are. We got it.”
While Volkanovski remains open to defending his featherweight title, he has also made no secret of his interest in moving up to challenge Justin Gaethje for the UFC lightweight championship.
“I’m an honest guy. I want it to be fair,” Volkanovski said. “So a lot of times I’m like, I don’t want to hold divisions up. But I believe we could do this and not hold the division up. Again, whether it’s both our retirement fight and put it on the line, which would be cool, little bit of a superfight, 38-year-olds going at it, and then we’ll leave it all and let all the young fellas sort themselves out.
“That’s something I would retire for. So if they wanted to give me that opportunity, I would retire. Win or lose, retire; then it’s vacant, so I’m not holding the division up. Then you’re gonna get the — if I win it and vacate, then you’ve got everyone else fighting anyway. So that’s something I would retire for. Otherwise, I’m just taking each fight as it goes.”
A potential superfight with Gaethje is not Volkanovski’s only option at lightweight. Arman Tsarukyan is widely viewed as a leading contender for the division’s next title opportunity, and Volkanovski has no problem facing him if the UFC books that matchup first.
Volkanovski acknowledged that several fighters have earned a shot at the lightweight championship and said he does not want his ambitions to interfere with their opportunities.
“Of course. One hundred percent. Definitely,” Volkanovski said about facing Tsarukyan. “The only problem for me is just, I don’t want to—I’ve always been the guy that was like, ‘You need to earn it.’ I believe I’ve earned it, but at the same time, there’s so many people in that division that have earned it as well. So, if I can do this and not hold the division up, I’d love it. Let’s do it. One hundred percent. And that would be a great fight; Arman’s a great fighter.”
