Alexander Volkanovski had his heart set on a rematch with Ilia Topuria after losing his featherweight crown, but he’s totally cool with “El Matador” ditching the division to chase a second belt at lightweight. The buzz about a Volkanovski-Topuria sequel kicked off right after UFC 298, where Topuria flattened Volkanovski with a second-round knockout to snag the 145-pound title. Since then, Topuria’s been on a tear, defending his belt with another jaw-dropping KO against Max Holloway, while Volkanovski’s been kicking back, soaking up a much-needed break from the grind over the past year.
Now, Volkanovski’s stepping back into the cage at UFC 314 on April 12 to fight for the featherweight strap—but it’s not Topuria across from him. Instead, he’s squaring off with Diego Lopes for a vacant title, since Topuria’s jumping up to 155 pounds, eyeing a showdown with lightweight king Islam Makhachev. It’s not locked in yet whether Topuria gets that shot right away, but Volkanovski’s giving him props for how he’s handling the move. “Put it this way, if he was trying to hang on to both belts, I don’t think that was going to happen,” Volkanovski said on the Believe You Me podcast. “The fact that he’s vacated and the lightweight division’s in a position where, I don’t know, there’s no real clear No. 1, I think it’s fair. The fact that he vacated, I think that that’s fair.
“If he wanted to hang on and do the double champ thing, I think he needed to do more work, but the fact that he’s like, ‘Look, I’m going to let this one go. Let that division move on. I want to commit to lightweight.’ I think that’s big. I think that’s fair, so I think he sort of deserves it.” Volkanovski’s all about fairness—he respects Topuria letting featherweight breathe instead of hogging two divisions. With a perfect 16-0 record, Topuria’s cleaned out enough at 145 to justify the leap, and per UFC boss Dana White, he’s done cutting down to that weight anyway. The guy’s ready to be the next big “champ-champ” name in the UFC history books.
If Topuria does lock horns with Makhachev, it’d be a clash of the titans—No. 1 and No. 2 on the Pound-for-Pound list going at it. They’ve got Volkanovski as a common thread, and he’s got thoughts on how it might play out. “How do I think that fight’s going to go?” Volkanovski said. “I have fought both of them. Islam is going to be a hard man to beat, for anyone, I think the only chance of him losing is someone knocking him out. Like, someone landing something, that’s what I believe. I’ve always believed that about myself, the only way I would lose is someone catching me rather than actually beating me. The only person I believe that will give me that close fight is Islam and I feel the same for Islam with a lot of opposition. I think everyone has a puncher’s chance and I think that’s the only way I see him really losing, someone catching him.
“And if anyone can do it, it is Ilia. Ilia’s obviously got some dangerous hands, so for people to just count him out, you know he’s got power in his hands, you know he’s going to be looking for it. You know he’s composed and even if things aren’t going his way he’s going to keep looking for it, keep trying to find it until he does or until he loses. So you know he’s dangerous, maybe if the gas tank goes, we’ll see when he starts them later rounds with someone like Islam, but early on the first couple or first three rounds, he’s going to be dangerous. You don’t want to be getting caught by any of those punches, so if anyone can catch him, I think Ilia’s right up there for a chance.” Volkanovski’s been in the trenches with both guys—Makhachev took his 0 in a razor-close war, and Topuria’s fists sent him to the canvas. He’s betting on Topuria’s dynamite hands to maybe, just maybe, catch Makhachev sleeping early.
For now, Volkanovski’s focused on Lopes and reclaiming his featherweight throne, but he’s not sweating Topuria’s exit. The Aussie legend sees it as a classy move that keeps the division rolling—and if Topuria can shock the world at 155, Volkanovski’s all for it. That’s the kind of respect you’d expect from a guy who’s been at the top of the game himself.
