UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (29-4) said he’d happily rematch Ilia Topuria if his preferred bout, a lightweight championship fight against Justin Gaethje, fails to materialize.
Volkanovski, 38, is targeting one final fight before retirement, having called for a champion-versus-champion showdown against Gaethje following his second-round stoppage of Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 on Saturday.
However, with Gaethje considering his own retirement, Volkanovski has expressed interest in avenging his February 2024 knockout defeat to Topuria, who subsequently became a two-division champion.
“If it was going to be for a lightweight title, that’d be great, because I get that win back as well,” Volkanovski said. “Nothing against him obviously, he’s a great fighter … but I’m a competitor, and I would love to test myself against him.”
Topuria suffered his first professional defeat against Gaethje on June 14, surrendering the lightweight championship.
Volkanovski has twice challenged unsuccessfully for the lightweight title against Islam Makhachev and hopes to make one final attempt at becoming a two-division champion.