Alexander Volkanovski admits he was prepared to retire if Diego Lopes rematch finished with a different outcome

UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski was prepared to hang up the gloves at UFC 325 if he suffered enough damage from Diego Lopes.

Alexander Volkanovski’s resurgence after back-to-back knockout losses continued at UFC 325, as he defended the UFC featherweight title against Diego Lopes in their UFC 325 rematch. Volkanovski’s second featherweight title reign kicked off when he won the then-vacant featherweight belt over Lopes in their first fight at UFC 314.

Ahead of UFC 314, some speculated Volkanovski could potentially retire if he suffered another brutal defeat in the Octagon. Brutal knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria led many to believe that Volkanovski might be on his last leg.

Before recently signing a new deal with the UFC and his dominant performance against Lopes, Volkanovski considered hanging up the gloves.

Alexander Volkanovski was prepared to drop the gloves at UFC 325

In a recent appearance on the MightyCast podcast, Volkanovski admitted he would’ve retired in the cage at UFC 325 if Lopes damaged him badly in the fight.

“If I took a heap of damage in this fight, maybe I would’ve laid down the gloves,” Volkanovski said.

“I am taking that into consideration – I’m trying to weigh it. Right now, I’m in a good position. I did get a new contract as well, which was great. So I was able to do that and you’re never going to make money like you do when you’re fighting, you can say I’m pretty set outside of it.

“We have a bunch of great opportunities there, but I’m alive and willing, and I’ve gotta go get these paychecks.”

UFC legend Frankie Edgar recently attempted to publicly persuade Volkanovski to retire following UFC 325. Edgar, a former UFC lightweight champion, suffered a string of brutal losses before his retirement at UFC 281.

Volkanovski will likely face the Lerone Murphy vs. Movsar Evloev winner for his next featherweight title defense. But if things don’t go well, don’t be surprised if Volkanovski doesn’t fight out his new contract.

Who do you think Alexander Volkanovski will fight next? Let us know your predictions in the comments!