Alexander Volkanovski admits he is mulling with the timeline for his retirement from MMA, but his plans don’t call for it at UFC 325.
After he regained the featherweight title in April with a unanimous decision victory over Diego Lopes at UFC 314, Volkanovski has been a target of speculation for how much time he has left in competition.
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At 37, Volkanovski (27-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) has been in the game for nearly 14 years since his professional debut. He’s had some tough fights and some brutal knockout losses, but he doesn’t enter his Jan. 31 rematch with Lopes (27-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC), which takes pace at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney (Paramount+), with any intent to hang up the gloves.
That said, Volkanovski left the door open for a scenario where it ends this month.
“I don’t know where that (retirement talk) came from exactly,” Volkanovski told “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Monday. “Just whether people are going off what I say, I’ve mentioned, ‘How many more do I have?’ If I was to get beaten up, am I going to come back to fight? No. But that’s not my plans. Unless some things go horrendously wrong I plan on going back out there.”
Should he get through Lopes again at UFC 325, Volkanovski said he is looking for an undefeated contender like Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy to add to his resume. If he won that, too, then he said a fairytale-type end might be harder to resist.
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“Whether the next one, taking on an undefeated fighter in the UFC in something like that, that’s appealing,” Volkanovski said. “Maybe that could be one that I finish up on, but right now, I plan on everything going well, getting my hand raised, hopefully take minimal damage and have a quick turnaround and still fighting. The plan isn’t definitely to retire. I don’t know where that comes from.”
Volkanovski, No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie pound-for-pound rankings, said he can be honest enough with his fans to tell them his time his short. The fights are finite, and the idea of fighting at 40 doesn’t seem to be any near the forefront of his mind.
That means what’s left for one of the all-time best should be relished, but Volkanovski plans to show why he’s nicknamed “The Great” at least a couple more time.
“I can’t promise another three, four years,” Volkanovski said. “But I don’t plan on retiring on this one because I’m going to get my hand raised and taking minimal damage, sending a statement, putting on a show for the fans and maybe we’ll see what happens after that, who we’re going to have after that, and maybe it’s going to be a little more appealing fight to retire on.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 325: Alexander Volkanovski admits retirement in play with loss
