Alexander Volkanovski talks next title defense: "It's pretty obvious it's probably gonna be Movsar"
Alexander Volkanovski is already in camp and recently touched on the training he's undergoing for what he believes will be a matchup against Movsar Evloev.
Alexander Volkanovski is back in the gym preparing for his next fight, which he is certain will be a featherweight title defense against Movsar Evloev. While the UFC has not yet confirmed the matchup, 'The Great' isn't leaving it up to chance and is already sharpening his wrestling skills in preparation for what promises to be one of the stiffest tests of his second reign as featherweight champion.
Alexander Volkanovski dives back into training
The last time UFC fans saw Alexander Volkanovski was at UFC 325, where he defeated Diego Lopes via unanimous decision for the second time. In doing so, he recorded the first title defense of his second stint as featherweight champion. While Lopes presented significant danger on the mat, his lack of a takedown threat allowed Volkanovski to fight without much fear of being taken down. Unfortunately, in a potential matchup with Movsar Evloev, one of the best wrestlers on the roster, he won't have that luxury, of which he is well aware. So, even without the UFC announcing the Evloev bout, Volkanovski is already preparing himself with wrestling drills, which he detailed on his YouTube channel (9:43):
"First morning. Got a strength session in. Got some drilling with Frank . It's obviously always good. You know, it's not locked in, but, you know, it's pretty obvious it's probably gonna be Movsar. So get all that wrestling in, nice and early. Did a grappling session afterwards as well, went over a few things, which was cool, got to drill some more, and then a couple of live rounds, which, because I'm doing morning sessions, and I'm gonna do a few morning sessions, I've got pretty much all day to recover."
Fortunately for Volkanovski, he is no stranger to facing high-level wrestlers. At UFC 284, he moved up in weight to take on then lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, one of the greatest-ever wrestlers and grapplers in MMA. Despite being at an obvious size disadvantage, Volkanovski more than held his own against Makhachev, proving relatively difficult to take down and outmuscle, while neutralizing any grappling offense once the fight inevitably hit the mat. However, in the end, he lost a contentious unanimous decision, though impressed many with how well he fought and how strongly he finished the bout.
THREE YEARS ago today, Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski competed in one of the most technical MMA fights of all time.
— Verdict (@VerdictMMA) February 11, 2026
The Verdict Scorecard had Volkanovski winning, but it was extremely close.#UFC284 pic.twitter.com/uEJMpzohLi
He'll be eager to test his defensive wrestling against Evloev, who is 20-0, with recent majority and unanimous decision wins over Lerone Murphy and Aljamain Sterling at UFC Fight Night 270 and UFC 310 respectively.
