Undisputed featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski claims a lightweight return is defintiely something he plots in the immediate future – despite suffering losses in his first two charges for the undisputed gold at 155 pounds last year.
Volkanovski, the current undisputed featherweight champion, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 294 back in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, UAE on short-notice.
Suffering his second attempt to dislodge pound-for-pound number one, Islam Makhachev from his lightweight perch, Volkanovski was stopped with a stunning opening round high-kick and strikes KO loss to the Russian in the pair’s rematch.
And booking a quickfire comeback later this month at UFC 298 in Anaheim, Volkanovski takes on the surging, unbeaten featherweight challenger, Ilia Topuria – attempting to retain his featherweight crown as part of a dominant reign.
Alexander Volkanovski plans lightweight future
However, despite the fact a clear path to a lightweight title siege for a third time seems more than cloudy for New South Wales native, Volkanovski, the incoming headlining starts still has plans for a continued future a division higher.
“Definitely not (finished at lightweight},” Alexander Volkanovski told assembled media during a press event ahead of UFC 298 in Sydney. “Obviously straight after – I’m a realist. I’m not expecting a rematch straight away. Everyone’s going to see that. They’re going to be like, ‘The age thing’ and all that. There’s going tobe some people doubting, ‘Is his time done?’ – which is hyping up this fight, so I’m all good with it.”
“But, everybody’s going to be reminded, and everybody is going to be switching a full 180 (degrees) saying there’s nobody left for me at 145, and they want me to go take that lightweight belt. That’s what I plan on doing. I’m going to go out there, take care of Ilia (Topuria) and we’ll see what’s next, but lightweight definitely in the near future.”
Do you think Alexander Volkanovski can ever land lightweight spoils?