Alexander Volkanovski wants to fight Diego
Lopes, Movsar Evloev and Patricio Pitbull all in one year 👀“I’m happy to fight 3 times this year… the beauty of having me a
champion again, they can all have their title fight.”Advertisement
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
March 17, 2025
Alexander
Volkanovski is ideally looking at a hectic 2025.
Alexander
Volkanovski is scheduled to fight Diego Lopes
for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 on April 12 at the
Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The same card also features former
Bellator champ Patricio
Freire making his UFC debut against Yair
Rodriguez.
When asked about a future potential matchup against Freire,
Volkanovski says he is game if the UFC wants it. However,
undefeated contender Movsar
Evloev is already waiting in the wings for the next title shot
at 145 pounds. Volkanovski is up for that challenge as well, all
within this year. Volkanovski claims none of the hopeful title
contenders have to take up any other matchups if he becomes
champion again.
“I want to be active… Yair is a tough matchup, [Pitbull] puts on a
performance and the UFC want it, I want to be active,” Volkanovski
told TNT Sports. “So whoever it was, Lopes, Movsar, then [Pitbull]
straight away. I want to do all that in one year. So I’m happy to
fight three times this year. I can keep them all busy and give them
all what they want. They all want a title shot. The beauty of
having me as a champion again, they can all have their title fights
the next one. No one has to wait around, no one has to have any
other fights. I will keep yous busy, don’t worry.”
Volkanovski was on a 12-fight promotional winning streak until 2022
that included four featherweight title defenses. “The Great” has
since gone 1-3 in his last four, a stretch that includes two failed
lightweight title bids against Islam
Makhachev and most recently, his featherweight title loss
against Ilia
Topuria at UFC 298 in February 2024.