Former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski took a while off following his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February. Again to coaching, “The Nice” appears to be like to the long run.
Topuria is anticipated to defend the 145-pound belt towards former titleholder Max Holloway later this 12 months. Within the meantime, Volkanovski wish to tackle some huge names within the light-weight division whereas he waits for a featherweight title shot.
“For me proper now, what excites me?” Volkanovski mentioned on Israel Adesanya’s YouTube channel. “The issues that excite me in featherweight, it’s simply the belt – clearly the rematch and the belt? That’s huge. I’m nonetheless that competitor the place, ‘All proper, that is my division. I’m getting it again. I need that win again’ – issues like that. So it’s going to be there. However then at light-weight, let’s have some enjoyable whereas we’re ready. I believe they’re most likely going to do Max and Ilia September.
“I instructed the UFC I didn’t need to struggle until later within the 12 months. I actually dedicated to that in my head. Now I’ve began coaching, I’m like, ‘I want I didn’t inform them that.’ So I did that, however that’s honest. I did say, ‘Look, I don’t need to wait too lengthy, both.’ I’m able now the place in the event that they try this and so they need me to struggle in bloody March or one thing, or April, I used to be like, ‘Oh, properly, all proper, I’m going to struggle a light-weight. Give me thrilling fights.’”
Whereas ready to see how Topuria and Holloway performs out, Volkanovski desires to struggle a few high lightweights. Throughout the interview, Volkanovski talked about two names within the 155-pound weight class that he is be excited to face.
“I need an thrilling fighter like a Charles Oliveira,” Volkanovski mentioned. “I did name out [Dustin] Poirier after that. He’s an excellent dude. We get alongside. I believe he’s an excellent man and he’s clearly an enormous, enjoyable struggle. There’s nonetheless historical past there with mutual opponents. He used to struggle at featherweight, issues like that, and clearly an enormous title, enjoyable struggle, that might be. In order that’s thrilling.
“Charles Oliveira, there’s a variety of thrilling fights that I might like to do whereas I’m ready as properly. So yeah – simply no matter excites me. The belt excites me. Ilia, clearly, rematch excites me. In order that’s the principle factor within the featherweight. I wouldn’t simply struggle anybody in featherweight as a result of my subsequent struggle’s for the title, and that’s that.”
