Alexander Volkanovski bucked the trend of fighters not winning a UFC title at 35 years or older this past Saturday at UFC 314 when he reclaimed the featherweight strap.
After suffering back-to-back losses against Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, UFC fans began growing concerned for the future of Alexander Volkanovski in the premier promotion.
Despite that, at UFC 314 this Saturday, the 35-year-old bounced back from the toughest stage of his career, reclaiming the UFC featherweight title with a vintage performance against Diego Lopes.
With his performance, the Australian showcased that he still has a lot to give at the elite level of the sport, and will now kick off his second reign as the 145lb champion.
Volkanovski outlines his plans for a quick turnaround
Ahead of the UFC 314 main event, both Lopes and Volkanovski claimed that if they won the title, they would make their first title defense against undefeated Russian contender, Movsar Evloev.
Immediately after the main event, Evloev called his shot online, congratulating Volk for his performance, imploring him to stick to his word.
However, Volkanovski likely won’t need much convincing as he has already outlined his plan to return as quickly as July, to take on the 19-0 star.
“September, I mean, if everything is good, I’d probably like to go sooner than that, to be honest. I reckon that’s probably the second fight. If I’m good, maybe it can be July and then September, maybe we can fit it in,” Volkanovski said in the post-fight press conference.
“I mean, Movsar, if they want to do that, if they wanna quickly go and I feel good, maybe a quick turnaround with Movsar if I don’t have busted hands. That was my plan, bang, bang, bang,” he continued.
Fans concerned by Volkanovski’s plan to fight soon after UFC 314
During his first reign as 145lb champion, ‘The Great’ was the most active champion throughout all weight classes, but ultimately, that’s what led to his brief downfall.
After such a closely contested fight against Islam Makhachev first time around, Volkanovski jumped at the chance to rematch the Russian on short notice, which led to a devastating KO loss.
He then made a quick turnaround again to defend his title against Topuria, which came too soon after his unsuccessful title charge against Makhachev, resulting in another brutal KO.
With the 35-year-old planning on a quick turnaround to fight Evloev, the fans have raised their concerns again, pleading with Volkanovski to reconsider.
“He will get KO’d sadly, he’s taking too much damage. He’s got the skills but he is not young and hungry anymore. People underestimate Evloev’s power,” one fan commented.
“Nah, let’s chill for a second, champ,” another fan reacted.
“No, bro. I’m begging you not to do this. Never take a short notice fight again,” a third fan pleaded.
The Australian star has always been open with how he affects with his mental health when he is not in fight camp, with that being the main reason as to why he likes to stay so active.
“Volk needs to start pacing out his fights. At least 4-5 months minimum,” another fan said.
“Please don’t be dumb, Volk,” a fifth fan commented.
