Few would dare accept a title fight in a heavier weight division (and against Islam Makhachev, no less) on 11 daysโ notice. Even fewer would line up a title defence bout immediately after falling short from capturing that second belt โ especially after being KOโd via head kick in the first round. But then again, not everyone is Australiaโs Alexander Volkanovski, which is why heโs already locked in his next fight.
Yes, โThe Greatโ is now officially 0-2 against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev post-UFC 284 (Perth) and UFC 294 (Abu Dhabi). But thereโs still plenty of work to keep him busy inside the Octagon. Like defend his featherweight belt against the likes of heavy-handed Georgian/Spanish banger Ilia Topuria.
Hereโs what we know about the headline event of UFC 298 so far.
Alexander Volkanovski Next Fight: Everything We Know So Far
Alexander Volkanovski Overview
Name: Alexander Volkanovski (โThe Greatโ)
Age: 35
Date of Birth: September 29, 1988
Height: 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Last Official Weight: 155 lb (70 kg)
Reach: 71 in (180 cm)
Style: Muay Thai, Boxing, & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Black Belt)
Coach & Team(s): Freestyle Fighting Gym, City Kickboxing, Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, Tiger Muay Thai
Nationality: Australian (from Wollongong, NSW)
Net Worth: $5 million AUD (Estimated)
Social Media Accounts: Instagram โ @alexvolkanovski (1.4 million followers) | Twitter โ @alexvolkanovski (399,000 followers)
RELATED: Joe Rogan Left Speechless By โControversialโ UFC 284 Decision Against Volk
Alexander Volkanovski Career Stats
MMA Record: 26 Wins (13 Knockouts, 3 Submission, 10 Decisions) โ 3 Losses (2 Knockout, 1 Decision)
UFC Record: 13 Wins (5 Knockouts, 8 Decisions) โ 2 Losses (1 Decision, 1 Knockout)
Accolades & Accomplishments:
- Former #1 UFC Pound-For-Pound Fighter
- Current UFC Featherweight Champion
- Five successful title defences
- Fight of the Night (Three times) vs Chad Mendes, Brian Ortega, Islam Makhachev
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs Chan Sung Jung AKA The Korean Zombie
- Tied with Arnold Allen for the second-longest win streak in UFC Featherweight division history
- Tied with Max Holloway for the second most title fight wins in UFC Featherweight division history
- Highest striking differential in UFC Featherweight division history
- Longest average fight time in UFC Featherweight division history (18:00)
- Australian Fighting Championship Featherweight Champion (One time & former)
- One successful AFC title defence
- Cage Conquest Welterweight Champion
- Pacific Xtreme Combat Featherweight Champion
- Roshambo MMA Lightweight Champion
- Roshambo MMA Welterweight Champion
- Wollongong Wars Lightweight Champion
Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria At UFC 298 (Location TBD)
Day prior to the bombshell announcement he was receiving another shot at Islam Makhachev far sooner than expected, it had been rumoured that Alexander Volkanovskiโs next fight would be a title defence against #5 featherweight Ilia Topuria at next Januaryโs UFC 297 (Canada).
Today, UFC President & CEO Dana White has confirmed Volk will be fighting โEl Matadorโ to open 2024. Only a single pay-per-view event after what was initially projected at UFC 298 (location TBD).
โI do want that Islam fight but I donโt want to wait for it. If theyโre like, โYeah you can do it but youโre gonna have to wait till this time.โ Iโm like, โWell give me something else.โ Which Iโm sure [the UFC] appreciate and love,โ Alexander Volkanovski told BH earlier this year.
โFor Dana White to say [heโll back whatever I want to do], he doesnโt really say that to many people, so that is a comment that I really appreciate. It shows that my hard work is being appreciated. So itโs a good position to be in but for me, I just want to be active.โ
White also revealed that UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski will be sandwiched by two other blockbuster title defences. Newly-crowned middleweight king Sean Strickland against South Africaโs Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 and bantamweight champ Sean OโMalley against Marlon Vera for Marchโs UFC 299.
How bloody good.
The Secret Injury
As if what he achieved at UFC 290 (International Fight Week) against interim featherweight champ Yair Rodriguez wasnโt impressive enough, during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Alexander Volkanovski revealed heโd been working with quite a dire-sounding elbow injury throughout his latest (full) camp. One that required โimmediate surgery.โ
According to Fox Sports Australia, Volk had a chipped bone in his left elbow which prevented him from fully extending the entire arm and apparently caused โnerve complications.โ
Still, the man hadnโt ruled out returning to the Octagon as soon as possible. And return ASAP he did.
โI didnโt mean to scare everyone with that. When I say Iโm going to do that, itโs not a big deal,โ Volk said with a grin during the post-fight press conference.
โIโll be back ASAP. It will be a quick one, just need to get something sorted. But Iโll be training a lotโฆ I broke my hand at International Fight Week last year and you saw me in Abu Dhabi [on standby] ready to fight Islam Makhachev or Charles Oliveira.โ
By all accounts, disappointing result at UFC 294: Alexander Volkanovski vs Islam Makhachev II in Abu Dhabi aside, it appears that the elbow is holding up. All the Aussie battler needs is a full camp.
RELATED: We Had Lunch (And A Yarn) With The UFCโs Alexander Volkanovski
Pure Fan Service (Potential Bouts After UFC 298)
Conor McGregor And/Or Michael Chandler
For any pro weighing between 145 pounds and 170 pounds, former two-division champion Conor McGregor is the fight to make.
Beyond the entertainment value, eyeballs, and monster payday, โNotoriousโ represents quite the notch in anybodyโs UFC career.
The same can be said about Chandler to some extent. Less so on the eyeballs and monetary side of things, sure, but a worthy opponent nonetheless (and a former Bellator champion).
After a well-documented history of vague threats (mostly instigated by McGregor), back in May, Alexander Volkanovski formally issued a challenge via Twitter.
Letโs do it at Lightweight ๐งจ https://t.co/NhWDOJRAyx
โ Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) May 30, 2023
The online exchange kicked off after the latter replied to an ESPN post which basically indicated if he and McGregor ever fought at featherweight, the winner wouldโve effectively beaten every single undisputed champion in the division.
โLetโs do it at lightweight,โ the reigning featherweight king tweeted with a dynamite emoji.
Before long, McGregor responded in a series of since-deleted tweets:
โLol. Afraid? The UFC P4P #1 (ye right) needs weighing scales and specific divisions to compete against me. So whoโs really who and whatโs what? The BMF title, the baddest jackasses in the sauna title. Little bums. Little one division, never champion bums! Nothinโ bad about yas!โ
โAnything. Anywhere. Any weight!โ Volkanovski fired back.
โThen why ask for 155 [pounds]. Also, that is my saying,โ said McGregor.
๐ ๐@TheNotoriousMMA isn't ruling out a shot at @AlexVolkanovski's FW strap! ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฆ๐บ pic.twitter.com/3prbgGaPeL
โ UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) June 1, 2023
โYeah you say it, but I did it. Iโve fought at middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight,โ replied Volkanovski.
While the back-and-forth concluded there, Volk retweeted a video uploaded by UFC ANZ in which Conor McGregor ponders the possibility of challenging him for the featherweight belt (see: above).
But this is all assuming McGregor even shows up for his own scheduled return bout against Chandler after their season of The Ultimate Fighter concludes.
Charles Oliveira
Last year, during a UFC 280 media day interview, the former lightweight champion was prompted about Alexander Volkanovski, who was locked in as the official backup fighter for Oliveiraโs title fight against Islam Makhachev.
โFirst of all weโre gonna focus on whatโs going to happen [at UFC 280],โ Charles Oliveira told reporters through a translator.
โIf weโre going to make this happen, Charles against Alexander Volkanovski, weโre gonna have it two ways: weโre gonna fight at 155 pounds [lightweight] and then weโre gonna fight 145 [featherweight] pounds.โ
โSo weโre going to fight in two weight divisions. I can fight [in Australia], but for his belt.โ
Long before Volk vs Islam Makhachevโs crossover clash was really in the conversation, the homegrown talent told BH the following:
โIf Charles wins and I face Charles early next year โ whoo! Laughing, you know? And then everyone will be going nuts about that as well. Iโm really, really looking forward to that one,โ said Alexander Volkanovski.
โI think whatโs better is Charles winning. Because itโs a big fight, thereโs a lot of hype around himโฆ So it makes a lot more sense for me.โ
It almost happened once. It could now become a reality depending on the result of Oliveira and Islam Makhachevโs forthcoming rematch.
Bonus: Do Bronx and The Great have the utmost respect for one another? This doesnโt really add anything tangible, but itโs just nice to see.
RELATED: UFC 300 Is Already Stacked (Youโre Just Not Looking Hard Enough)
Brian Ortega Rematch
No further explanation is required for anyone who witnessed Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega the first time around.
Max Holloway Rematch
Granted, the trilogy was closed out pretty definitively at UFC 276. But god itโd be electric to see Alexander Volkanovski throw hands with former champion Max Holloway again.
When is Alexander Volkanovskiโs next fight?
Alexander Volkanovski is defending his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria at next yearโs UFC 298 (February 17th, 2024).
This bout follows after Volkanovski stepped in as a last-minute replacement for UFC 294โs original lightweight title challenger and former division champion, Charles Oliveira, who suffered an eyebrow laceration that requires stitches during sparring.
Despite the fact Alexander Volkanovski failed to capture the lightweight title on yet another occasion against Islam Makhachev, heโs clearly raring to go.
RELATED: Win Or Lose, These UFC Fighters Make Us Proud To Be Australian
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