Ex-UFC Champ Alexander Volkanovski Shares Promising Update on Return Fight Plans

"The Great" hasn't competed since losing his featherweight title at UFC 298.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Former UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has shared an encouraging update on when fans will see him back in the Octagon again.

Volkanovski Teases Return To The UFC

One of the most decorated featherweights in UFC history, Volkanovski claimed the division’s title from longtime champion Max Holloway in 2019 and went on to defend it five times before being stopped by Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 last February.

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Fans have speculated that everything from a rematch with Topuria to a #1 contender fight with Diego Lopes could be next for the former champion, and based on a recent Instagram post it looks like “The Great” is already preparing for his return to action sometime next year.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alexander Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski)

Assuming Volkanovski doesn’t fight until at least February at the earliest, this will be the Australian’s longest layoff since defeating Holloway in an immediate rematch in July 2020 before he defended his belt for a second time against Brian Ortega in September the following year.

The time off is well-deserved for “The Great”, as he’s currently on the first two-fight skid of his career after he moved up to lightweight for a second crack at Islam Makhachev in October and was stopped in the first round before suffering another knockout-loss to Topuria just four months later.

Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Ilia Topuria lands hits against Alexander Volkanovski for his KO victory during UFC 298 at Honda Center. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“El Matador” solidified his place as featherweight king at UFC 308 when he became the first man to stop Holloway, and even with a number of high-profile contenders available in the weight class few fans would argue that Volkanovski doesn’t deserve a rematch after his dominant reign as champion.

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The Australian’s aspirations of becoming a two-division champion are presumably on the backburner after losing his featherweight belt, but Volkanovski will also probably be watching closely when Makhachev defends his lightweight title in the recently-announced UFC 311 main event against Arman Tsarukyan in February.

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