UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski says that he would give up his belt at 145 lbs to fight Arman Tsarukyan up at 155 lbs.
Volkanovski knocked out Movsar Evloev in the second round of their UFC 333 main event fight to defend his UFC featherweight belt once again.
In the wake of that impressive victory, Volkanovski has openly spoken about wanting to move up to 155 lbs to fight UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje in a potential double retirement fight between two UFC legends.
But in the event that Gaethje retires and there is a vacant title, then Volkanovski is open to vacating his featherweight belt to fight Tsarukyan for the vacant lightweight belt.
Alex Volkanovski Interested in Fighting Arman Tsarukyan
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Volkanovski revealed his interest in fighting Tsarukyan for a vacant lightweight belt if Gaethje hangs up his gloves.
“If Justin doesn’t want to do it, I’ll do it! I’m starting to get more excited about that fight than the Gaethje fight. Arman is a great fighter, and I would absolutely love that matchup. I’ll vacate the featherweight belt and fight Arman for the title. You ain’t holding me down—I’m getting back up and we’re standing and fighting,” Volkanovski said.
“If Justin doesn’t want to do it, I’ll do it! I’m starting to get more excited about that fight than the Gaethje
Will the UFC Book Alex Volkanovski vs. Arman Tsarukyan?
Now the question is: will the UFC consider booking Volkanovski against Tsarukyan?
It really comes down to whether or not Gaethje wants to fight again. If he does, then Gaethje vs. Tsarukyan is the only fight that makes sense for the UFC lightweight title that Gaethje currently possesses.
But if Gaethje does decide to vacate his belt, then a vacant lightweight title bout between Volkanovski and Tsarukyan becomes very intriguing.
So, we’ll have to wait and see what the champ decides to do because, nearly five months after beating Ilia Topuria to claim the lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250 in early June, Gaethje still hasn’t made up his mind about what is next for him.
If he decides to fight again, great; no one would complain about that. But if he retires, then Volkanovski vs. Tsarukyan would be really fun.
Alex Volkanovski Would Give Up Belt to Fight Arman Tsarukyan