Alexander Volkanovski already has his exit planned, and it involves Justin Gaethje.
Championship Rounds wrote on X that Volkanovski “says he wants to move up to fight Justin Gaethje for his retirement fight,” and posted the champ’s words: “I don’t want to hold divisions up, but I believe we could do this and not hold the divisions up. That’s something I’d retire for. If they want to give me that opportunity, win or lose I’d retire.”
He said it hours after stopping Movsar Evloev by TKO in the second round of the UFC 333 main event in Abu Dhabi, a result the UFC confirmed on X as Volkanovski kept the featherweight title. Evloev walked in at 20-1 and ranked No. 2 at 145. He walked out without the belt but with plenty of grace. “He’s like good wine. Older, stronger, better,” Evloev said in a clip posted by UFC on Paramount+, before calling Volkanovski a legend.
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That wine line fits. Volkanovski is now 29-4 and the No. 1 featherweight in Knockout Daily’s rankings. He’s a two-time UFC featherweight champion and already the oldest man to defend that title, at 38. As of June he sat at No. 2 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings. And he finished a wrestler who had only one loss on his record.
The money
The purse chatter followed fast. Bleacher Report published estimated prize money payouts for Volkanovski, Petr Yan and the rest of the UFC 333 card. TheSportster ran its own projections covering what Volkanovski, Evloev and Merab Dvalishvili could earn. Both outlets framed their numbers as estimates and projections, so treat any single figure you see floating around as a guess until a fighter or the promotion says otherwise.
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If Volkanovski gets his wish, the next check could be the biggest of his career. A champion moving up to face a name like Gaethje is the kind of matchup that sells on its own. His pitch also tries to defuse the obvious objection, since he says the fight wouldn’t freeze either division. Nobody at the UFC has publicly responded to the idea in the available reporting, and no bout has been booked.
Yan had a good night too. Championship Rounds posted a photo of him and Volkanovski posing together after both men won, two veterans grinning for the camera in Abu Dhabi.
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