Alexander Volkanovski might leave the featherweight as a potential lightweight title matchup becomes more appealing.
Volkanovski has made it clear that he wants to compete for a second UFC belt, and he is willing to vacate his featherweight title if Justin Gaethje retires and leaves the lightweight championship vacant.
Volkanovski defended his featherweight title with a TKO victory over Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 on Saturday. While the win raised questions about his next opponent and whether he would consider retirement, the Australian has kept his options open, including a potential move to lightweight.
However, with uncertainty surrounding Gaethje’s future, the featherweight champion has identified Arman Tsarukyan as another opponent he would gladly face for the vacant belt.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Volkanovski acknowledged Tsarukyan’s position in the lightweight title race and said he would welcome the challenge.
“I do believe Arman should be fighting for the title. If I was in the lightweight division and I was champion at lightweight, I’m fighting Arman 100%.”
“And if Gaethje don’t want to do that, I’ll do it. Again, you got Ilia and Paddy in a great position, but I think that’s [Ilia vs. Paddy] a great fight. That excites me; it’s because Arman’s a great fighter. Everyone knows how I do against wrestlers. Everyone knows I can handle wrestlers. I think he’s one of the best wrestlers and grapplers in the UFC, but you ain’t holding me down. Even Arman.”
The Australian has built a reputation for handling elite grapplers, and he believes a fight against Tsarukyan would give him another opportunity to prove himself against one of the UFC’s best wrestlers.
Although Volkanovski respects Tsarukyan’s grappling ability, he expects to find ways to get back to his feet and turn the fight into a striking contest.
“I have got so much respect for him, but I’m getting back up, and we are standing and fighting, but he’s good stand-up. So, that will be a fun fight. I’ll be very excited for that.”
Volkanovski’s willingness to leave the featherweight division could make the matchup more realistic if Gaethje decides to retire. Rather than hold on to his 145-pound championship while pursuing another title, the Australian says he would step aside and fight for the vacant lightweight belt.
“Arman keeps saying that he thinks Justin is gonna retire. So if Justin really does retire, I think it’s all been settled. I’ll vacate the featherweight belt and fight Arman for the title. There it is. I’m starting to get more excited for that than the Gaethje fight,” Volkanovski said.
For now, the UFC’s lightweight title picture remains unsettled. Gaethje’s next move could determine whether Volkanovski gets the opportunity to pursue a second championship against Tsarukyan.
Volkanovski still has options at featherweight, including a potential title defense against Aljamain Sterling if Sterling wins his next fight. However, the Australian appears increasingly interested in testing himself at lightweight.
