Alexander Volkanovski just won another featherweight title fight while sick, and his next thought was apparently revenge.
In a clip shared by Championship Rounds on X (via @1bbradfo), Volkanovski was asked about a rematch with Ilia Topuria before he retires. His answer: “That would be great too. If it’s gonna be for a lightweight title then yea. To get that win back would be great. I’m a competitor and I’d love to test myself against him.”
Then the boss chimed in. Yardbarker reported that UFC CEO Dana White left the door open for Volkanovski fighting for the lightweight title. White isn’t booking anything yet, but he also isn’t telling a 38-year-old featherweight champ to stay in his lane, and that’s notable on its own.
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Why Volk gets to ask
The résumé does the talking. Volkanovski (29-4) beat Movsar Evloev on Oct. 24 at UFC 333, and the UFC noted on X that the win pushed him past Jose Aldo for the most title fight victories in featherweight history. He’s the current and two-time UFC featherweight champion, the first Australian-born fighter to win a UFC title, and he was No. 2 in the men’s pound-for-pound rankings as of June. He’s also the oldest man to win the featherweight belt (36) and the oldest to successfully defend it (38).
And he did the Evloev fight with a chest infection. Happy Punch posted his fight-day line on X: “I’m sick, but the fight would be too easy if I felt too good anyway.” That’s the energy I want from every champion on the roster, and it got fellow featherweight Arnold Allen’s respect. Allen quoted it with: “Not too many geezers like Volk, probably wouldn’t of seen this if he had lost, fairrrrr play.”
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Evloev, for his part, changed his Instagram bio to read 0-1 after the loss, according to Championship Rounds. Petty in the most respectable way.
What it means next
Volk’s own words admit Topuria holds a win over him, and he’s attaching a condition to the rematch. He wants a lightweight belt on the table, which turns a grudge match into a title fight. That’s a guy calling his shot instead of padding a farewell tour. White hasn’t detailed a timeline or a plan in the reporting available, so this lives in the open-door stage for now.
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My take: if the UFC can make Volkanovski vs. Topuria for gold at 155, you make it. A champion who keeps picking the hardest fight on the board is exactly who you hand a second division to. The guy just broke Aldo’s record with a chest infection. Let him go chase the one loss he can’t stand.
