UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski says that he is open to a rematch against former rival Ilia Topuria.
Topuria knocked out Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February 2024 to claim the UFC featherweight title. Now, nearly three years later, Volkanovski says that he’s open to a rematch against him.
Alexander Volkanovski Interested in Ilia Topruia Rematch
Speaking to Brendan Bradford, Volkanovski said that a rematch between him and Topuria is something he is interested in.
“If it was going to be for a lightweight title, that’d be great, because I get that win back as well. (Justin) Gaethje took that zero, so I can’t say that I get the chance to take that zero from him. But to get that win back would be great,” Volkanovski said.
“If it was going to be for a lightweight title, that’d be great, because I get that win back as well. Gaethje took that zero, so I
Who Will Alexander Volkanovski Fight Next?
While a rematch between Volkanovski and Topuria would be highly intriguing, it may not be in the cards, since Topuria is now fighting at lightweight instead of the featherweight division.
However, Volkanovski has spoken about potentially moving up to lightweight and challenging UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. If that happens, then a matchup between him and Topuria could happen at 155 lbs, but only if Volkanovski decides that he wants to stick around the weight class longer if he beats Gaethje and claims the belt, because he has spoken about retiring after fighting Gaethje.
So, we’ll have to see what the UFC ends up doing with Volkanovski, but if there is a way for him to rematch Topuria, either at 145 lbs or at 155 lbs, then the world’s leading MMA organization needs to consider booking it, as this would easily be one of the biggest fights the UFC could book right now.
The other question is, even if Volkanovski is interested in fighting Topuria again, would Topuria be? After all, Topuria has already beaten Volkanovski, so perhaps there is less of an incentive for Topuria to take that fight, since a win doesn’t do as much for him and a loss would hurt far worse.
That being said, it would be an awesome fight, and one the fans would surely love.
Alexander Volkanovski Open to Ilia Topuria Rematch