Alexander Volkanovski decides to wait for UFC featherweight title shot, won't take lightweight fight

Alexander Volkanovski is going to await the winner of Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway.

Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) defended his featherweight title five times before getting dethroned by Topuria at UFC 298. He is coming off back-to-back knockout losses to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Topuria.

“I told them I wanted a break, as I’ve been having, so I wanted to fight probably later in the year, and they said they might be doing that (Topuria vs. Holloway), and I thought it would have been a little bit earlier, but it ended up being a date where I was like, I could’ve maybe come back here,” Volkanovski told Sky Sports New Zealand.

“Everything is probably getting pushed back a couple of months further than I probably would’ve liked, but at the same time, I can’t be active and just fight anybody, or I can wait for the title. What gets me out of bed, just a contender at featherweight is probably going to be hard.”

Volkanovski floated the idea of taking a fight at lightweight while Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defends his title against Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) Oct. 26 in the UFC 308 headliner in Abu Dhabi, but he’s now changed his mind. “The Great” says the UFC is on board with him getting a title fight in his return and doesn’t want to risk losing his shot.

“Yeah, for sure (you can expect me to fight the winner of that fight). That’s exactly what’s happening,” Volkanovski said. “I can wait, or if I don’t want to wait, I can do something else. Or just wait, and the UFC has made it clear, and obviously that’s probably what I’m going to do.

“I could’ve maybe done a lightweight fight. I think there’s a lot of exciting fights there, but the UFC aren’t big fans of floating (between weights). They go, ‘Look, you want to go to lightweight, you’re going to have to stay there,’ and then I might lose that featherweight title shot. It’s only a couple of months. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.