Alexander Volkanovski Weighs Third Bid for UFC Lightweight Title As Justin Gaethje Era Begins

Ever since Ilia Topuria burst onto the scene, the UFC landscape has been in a constant state of flux. His dismantling of Alexander Volkanovski to capture featherweight gold, subsequent move to lightweight, and stunning setback against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 have not only reshuffled the championship picture but also revived several intriguing storylines that once appeared dead in the water.

Now, as Gaethje settles into life as the undisputed lightweight champion and Topuria recovers from the first defeat of his professional career, Volkanovski has dropped a revealing admission of his own. The reigning featherweight king appears to be entertaining the idea of another run at 155 pounds, potentially setting the stage for a third crack at becoming a two-division UFC champion.

Alexander Volkanovski Admits He’d Welcome a Third Crack at Lightweight Gold

After dispatching two of the UFC's biggest names in Max Holloway and former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, Topuria appeared destined for a lengthy reign at 155 pounds. 

The UFC subsequently paired "El Matador" with Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250. The prevailing narrative was simple: Topuria would walk down "The Highlight" and produce yet another boxing masterclass.

Instead, Gaethje authored one of the biggest upsets in recent memory. The veteran survived an early storm before battering Topuria over the third and fourth rounds and ultimately handing the Spaniard the first defeat of his professional career.

The shocking result did more than crown a new lightweight champion. It also reopened doors for fighters who had long entertained dreams of competing at 155 pounds. One of them is reigning featherweight champion Volkanovski.

Speaking on his YouTube channel in the aftermath of Gaethje's fourth-round stoppage victory, "The Great" admitted that another run at lightweight is certainly not off the table.

"Do I go up? People ask me, 'Would you do it?' Of course I'd do it. I'm going to call it if I feel like I deserve it," he said, reflecting on a potential move up to 155 pounds.

Alexander Volkanovski's Previous Lightweight Title Fight Conquests

Volkanovski (28-4-0) first challenged for lightweight gold at UFC 284 in 2023, pushing then-champion Islam Makhachev to a highly competitive five-round affair in Australia. Although he ultimately came up short on the scorecards, his performance earned widespread praise. 

Subsequently, the matchmakers booked them for a rematch later that year at UFC 294, but it proved far more damaging, as Makhachev scored a statement head-kick knockout in the opening round.

For many observers, those two setbacks appeared to put an end to Volkanovski's ambitions of becoming a two-division champion. The 37-year-old, however, doesn't seem ready to close that chapter just yet.

Making his case, Volkanovski added: "You've seen when I was defending my belt five times before I asked for the double champ, and then had the fight with Islam (Makhachev). That's just how it is. I lost the belt, got the belt back, defended against (Diego) Lopes, does that put me in a position to go get another chance?"

That said, Volkanovski clarified that he isn't looking to step over anyone. In his eyes, Arman Tsarukyan remains the most deserving contender for an immediate crack at Justin Gaethje's newly won title. However, he also acknowledged that the Armenian's relationship with the promotion could ultimately influence how things unfold.

"I'm not going to call for it. That's the type of champion I am. I think you need to earn it, but if the UFC wants to offer it? Of course. See two 38-year-old fellas go at it in the lightweight division. 100 percent. Of course I would."

For now, Volkanovski appears content to let the UFC decide his next move. But if the promotion does decide to revisit his long-standing quest for double-champ status, "The Great" has made it abundantly clear that he won't hesitate to answer the call.

Volkanovski Breaks Down Topuria's Costly Mistakes Against Gaethje

Having watched one of his biggest rivals suffer his first professional defeat from cageside at the White House, Volkanovski offered a surprisingly nuanced assessment of how Gaethje managed to derail the Topuria hype train.

Appearing on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Volk was quick to credit the newly crowned lightweight king for sticking to a disciplined blueprint throughout the contest.

"It was a bit of everything," Volkanovski said. "You have to credit Gaethje for an unreal game plan. He stayed very disciplined. He knew when to fire, he knew when to block, he knew when to put himself in safe positions. He did a great job. So great execution of the game plan was definitely a massive part of it."

At the same time, Volkanovski felt Topuria's trademark aggression ultimately worked against him. While the Spaniard found moments of success in R1 and R2, even appearing to stun Gaethje on multiple occasions, the veteran believes the damage he absorbed while pressing forward began taking its toll much sooner than many realized.

"I thought Ilia was very aggressive. I think he tried to rush everything very early, and that's why he took damage pretty early," he explained. "Even though he had success in the earlier rounds, that damage was already accumulating. He started getting a little busted up straight away."

Furthermore, the 37-year-old was particularly impressed by Gaethje's ability to neutralize Topuria's offense without abandoning his own game plan.

"The jab was landing on Gaethje. Gaethje did a great job of jabbing on the back foot, staying safe enough when Ilia was trying to hit him, or even when he did hit him, even those times where Ilia would bridge a nice, beautiful one-two, (Gaethje) would just roll with it and rattle him a bit, but not enough to put him lights out."

According to him, the fight eventually became a battle of attrition, one that favored the veteran challenger as the rounds progressed.

However, despite the devastating defeat, Volkanovski isn't particularly convinced that Topuria's championship aspirations at lightweight are over. In fact, he remains confident that the 29-year-old has the tools to avenge the loss should the UFC decide to book an immediate rematch - 

“If he fights the right fight, he will learn a lot from that. Ilia wins the rematch. That's no knock on Justin at all.”