UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski said that he is interested in a superfight against UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.
Volkanovski was in attendance at the UFC White House card last weekend when Gaethje pulled off a massive upset with a destructive beatdown of Ilia Topuria to unify the UFC lightweight titles.
With Volkanovski holding the UFC’s 145 lbs belt and Gaethje as the 155 lbs champion, a superfight between the featherweight and lightweight champions is a fight that many fans want to see.
If the fans want to see it and if the UFC offers it to him, then Volkanovski says he will accept the challenge.
Alexander Volkanovski Open to Fighting Justin Gaethje
Speaking in a video posted to his YouTube channel, Volkanovski said he is open to fighting Gaethje if the UFC wants to book this superfight.
“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, and you’ve seen, when I was defending my belt five times before, I asked for the double champ, then had the fight with Islam (Makhachev). That’s just how it is. I lost the belt, I got it back, defended it against (Diego) Lopes. Does that put me in a position to go and get another chance at (the UFC lightweight belt)? I’m not going to call for it. That’s the type of champion I am. I think you have to earn it. But if the UFC was to offer it? Of course. Two 38-year-old fellas going at it in the lightweight division? 100%. Of course, I would. So that’s it, 100%. But I don’t know. Arman (Tsarukyan) should be next. But when you’re not doing what the UFC wants, and you’re not being a company man, you can be punished for it. So, we’ll see what happens,” Volkanovski said.
“People ask me if i would do it? Of course I would— Two 38 year-old fellas go at it in the lightweight division.”
via @alexvolkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski Wants to Fulfill Dream of Becoming UFC Double Champ
In 2023, Volkanovski tried to fulfill his dream of becoming a two-division UFC champion when he fought Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 284. Although Volkanovski gave Makhachev a very tough fight, he lost a five-round decision in what was one of Makhachev’s toughest fights of his entire UFC career.
Then, at UFC 294, Volkanovski fought Makhachev again, only this time on super short notice for the injured Charles Oliveira. This time around, Makhachev knocked Volkanovski out with a first-round head kick.
But now that Makhachev is up at welterweight, where he is the promotion’s current 170 lbs champion, it gives Volkanovski more wiggle room to go up in weight once again to try and challenge for the UFC lightweight title another time against a new champion in Gaethje.
As Volkanovski said, Arman Tsarukyan is likely going to be Gaethje’s inaugural title challenger in his first 155 lbs title defense, while Volkanovski will likely battle Movsar Evloev in his next bout. But if both champions defend their titles, then a superfight between Volkanovski and Gaethje in 2027 suddenly becomes a fan-friendly fight that has legs behind it.
Alexander Volkanovski Interested in Justin Gaethje Superfight