Volkanovski Pitches a Farewell Super Fight With Justin Gaethje

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has again floated a champion-versus-champion super fight with lightweight titleholder Justin Gaethje, this time framing it as a possible farewell for both men. In a recent interview with The Mac Life, Volkanovski explained why he thinks the matchup could make sense for everyone involved.

Volkanovski has already come up short twice in attempts to win the lightweight belt, but he said he would agree to retire if the promotion gave him one more crack at the 155-pound crown. That would require the approval of Gaethje, who himself appears undecided about how much longer he will fight in the UFC.

"I'm not the one to just call for title fights"

Volkanovski said the lightweight division has many deserving contenders. His argument is that he could fit into the equation precisely because Gaethje is unsure of his own future and may only want one more fight. He noted that Gaethje is not interested in rematches, that the two have never fought each other, and that he himself has no plans to retire unless something like this comes together.

The idea, as Volkanovski described it, would be for both champions to agree on a last fight, a super fight between titleholders, so that neither would be holding up their division. Afterward, he said, they could see themselves off and let both weight classes move on. He added that he believes it could genuinely happen, which is why he put it out there in the first place.

Evloev first

First, Volkanovski has to face undefeated contender Movsar Evloev, who challenges him for the featherweight title in the UFC 333 main event on October 24 in Abu Dhabi. Even with a win, he would still need to leapfrog lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan and former 155-pound champion Ilia Topuria to land the fight he wants with Gaethje.