Alexander Volkanovsky was one of the most active champions in the UFC when he reigned as featherweight king, defending the throne four times in two years during the Covid-19 pandemic. He plans to replicate it as he beat Diego Lopez to the top by winning the vacant title at UFC 314 on April 12th.
Volkanovski was suspected of his age and the fact that he was lost in a series of knockouts and fell before Islamic Makhachev and Ilia Topria, but became the first fighter in Miami to win a UFC belt of less than 155 pounds.
“I’m not going to do anything too crazy,” Volkanovsky said at a postwar press conference when asked about his plans for his future. “Everyone always wakes me up for that short notice. Do I know I’ll do it again? That’s exactly what it is. A lot of people are who I am.
“And the same guy with that same mindset and mentality comes out every day every gym day. If I’m not going to do that shit, I’m not a champion. I’m fine with that. That was my decision.
If there’s a bruise all over his face following a five-round battle with Lopez, the Australian star left it for the promotional matchmaker to decide when the next fight will take place, but he wasn’t interested in waiting until September to protect Mexico’s Jaarrodriguez at Guadalajara’s next Noche UFC pay-per-view.
“I mean, if everything’s good, you’ll want to go right away,” Volkanovsky said. “Faster than that, to be honest, it’s probably the second fight. So if I’m good, if I’m good, I might fight, maybe July or September. Credit to f*cking diego.”
“I have to look at a few things,” he added. “I’ll get the x-rays. I’ll look at them right away. If everything’s good, the cut will soothe rather quickly. Give me a few weeks. I’m still at work when I get home.
Former interim champion himself, Rodriguez defeated former Bellator King Patricio Pitbull in UFC 314 earlier that night, but lost to Volkanovsky at a third-round stop when he tried to unify Gold. Rodriguez rebounded in a Pitbull victory after losing two consecutive wins against Volkanovsky and Brian Ortega. “Great” is not sure if “Pantera” deserves the next one in place of the undefeated Ivroev.
“Look, he’s a good guy. I love him so much,” Volkanovsky said of Rodriguez. “If the UFC wants to give him that, I’m not going to stop it for him. I honestly didn’t think he’d get a shot if he won. Honestly, that didn’t come to mind.
“Obviously you have someone like an undefeated Movsar. I want to take that zero,” he continued. “You have to see what the UFC is saying. I saw him tweeting about wanting to fight someone in May and doing this kind of thing, so he’s chatting and wanting to have another fight, so I don’t know what the situation is.
When it’s all said and done, once again become a UFC champion and holding the belt is not the most important thing for Volkanovski.
“To be honest, it’s not about the title,” Volkanovski said. “It’s not really about the belt, you win, stay on top, succeed, do you know what I mean? This represents a lot more. I’m in the gym where I squash my ass every day. You’re sacrificeing so much.
“(This belt) is going to sit in the closet like everyone else, do you know what it means? But what it represents and what I did is special. It’s even more special to me. I’ll bring this back to my family, friends… maybe it’s not settled properly. Honestly, af*ck.”