The Australian legend defended his title on Saturday night, defying father time once again.
On Saturday, Volkanovski added another magnificent title defense to his legendary rΓ©sumΓ©, stopping the previously undefeated Movsar Evloev in the main event of UFC 333. If there was any doubt beforehand, Volkanovski has now certainly solidified himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time, but at 38 years old, it is fair to wonder what comes next for The Great and how much longer he will continue on.
Volkanovski was not the only champion to deliver a sterling performance on Saturday. In the co-main event, Petr Yan put on a masterclass against his rival Merab Dvalishvili, taking a unanimous decision to retain his bantamweight title and end the debate between the two.
The Case for Ilia Topuria Rematch
When you have done it all in this business and still find time to run through an undefeated challenger like they are a UFC debutant, you can pretty much do everything you want.
It makes a ton of sense for Volkanovski to be angling for that Justin Gaethje superfight, but there is a case for an Ilia Topuria rematch. If Topuria were willing to drop back down to 145 and Volkanovski was given the chance to avenge that loss, would he choose that instead? It would give Volkanovski a chance to end the featherweight GOAT debate once and for all.
Whatever He Wants
Honestly, whatever he wants.
Volkanovski has solidified his reign as the greatest featherweight of all time, and he really has nothing left to prove. If he chooses to stick at 145, he could potentially face someone like Jean Silva, although it is not sure how much that adds to his already stellar legacy. Volkanovski mentioned moving to 155 pounds again and challenging Justin Gaethje, and that could be a perfect exit for his career. But that also hinges on Gaethje's interest, as he is also nearing retirement.
Another option: Aljamain Sterling finds a way past Kevin Vallejos and gets his title shot, which would be a fitting swan song for Volkanovski if he is not getting Gaethje. Sterling has enough credentials of his own that it would add to Volkanovski's if they fought.
The Gaethje Superfight
It seems like the answer is going to be Justin Gaethje. Before UFC 333, Volkanovski began pitching the idea of a superfight with the UFC lightweight champion, suggesting they could both simply vacate their titles to do it. Now that he has won, though, Volk has slightly changed his tune, saying they could fight for the lightweight title in a double retirement bout.
Arman Tsarukyan deserves to fight for the lightweight title; no one alive should debate that. But the UFC has been happy to snub him before, and Dana White himself said it would be hard to deny Volk anything he wants. Enough of the fan base loves Volk so much that they are already pushing for a Volk vs. Gaethje matchup. My guess is Volk is getting yet another crack at becoming a two-division champion.
