Alexander Volkanovski is in the position to call his next shot as the UFC featherweight champ and the Australian scrapper would be interested in seeing Conor McGregor next.
Volkanovski sounded off on a possible matchup with the Irish superstar while speaking with TMZ Sports this week.
“Oh yeah, I mean [a McGregor fight always interests me], and it’s always going to interest a lot of people,” Volkanovski said. “It’s always going to be a big fight, there’s always going to be money, there’s going to be a circus, it’s going to be entertaining, it’s going to be fun, I’ll enjoy that whole f–king thing.”
Volkanovski is 24-1 as a pro and has never lost in the UFC. His latest victory was a dismantling of the Korean Zombie at UFC 273, which went down as another dominant title defense on his resume.
The UFC has been mum on any official plans for McGregor’s next fight, with much of it depending on what unfolds as he recovers from the broken leg he suffered in his last fight against Dustin Poirier in July of last year.
“If his leg heals right and he gets the clearance to really start training, then possibly early fall,” UFC president Dana White told The Sun. “We’ll see when he’s ready to fight and when the doctor gives him 100 percent clearance we’ll start looking at possible opponents.”
Volkanovski Believes Aldo is the 145-Pound GOAT
Volkanovski has been active talking about the GOAT — greatest of all-time — status as he continues to dismantle the featherweight division. However, he doesn’t feel like he’s there quite yet, giving Jose Aldo the nod for the No. 1 spot.
“I believe I’ve still got more work to do,” Volkanovski said prior to UFC 273. “I give Aldo the respect. To be champion for as long as he was, he’s incredible. No matter the opposition that I’m facing like himself, Max and that, I’m fighting absolute killers, it’s pretty clear.
“But at the same time, to be champion that long – there’s going to be days you don’t show up, bad weight cuts, injuries, you name it. We’ve all done it and it’s a nightmare to not be on, on a day where you’ve got to go out there and defend your belt. For him to be a champion for so long, that’s saying something.”
Volkanovski has a hit list of sorts and thinks a win over McGregor would mean more considering his place in history as a former champion.
“He’s another champ in my division that I haven’t taken out. I’ve taken out everyone else,” Volkanovski said. “So it makes sense on top of the circus and the money. I want to take out all the legends of this division. Conor McGregor held the belt in my division. I want that GOAT status. Take out all the champions? You’re fucking saying something.”
Volkanovski Has Talked About Moving Up Divisions
There’s no clear fight for the UFC to make for Volkanovski at featherweight, which has led to the Aussie eyeing a move up in divisions and pursuing champ-champ status.
“I’m planning to stay busy this year. I don’t know if lightweight is in the picture this year, but I want three fights this year,” he told Yahoo Sports in early April. “I’m not looking past Zombie but at the same time, I am, because I am confident in myself. I want a few big ones this year and look, if later this year that lightweight fight happens, if not next year, I definitely want to do something like that.”
If Volkanovski wants to fight McGregor, there’s a chance it would have to take place at lightweight, with “Notorious” gaining a significant amount of weight in the last year. McGregor recently said he’s walking around near 190 pounds. McGregor recently called out pound-for-pound king and welter weight champ Kamaru Usman.
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UFC Superstar Champion Wants Conor McGregor Next