Alexander Volkanovski shoots down retirement rumors ahead of UFC 325: ‘Going back out there’

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has shot down retirement rumors ahead of UFC 325.

Volkanovski is set to headline UFC 325 on January 31 in Australia against Diego Lopes in a rematch of their fight from last year. The champ enters the bout as a -164 favorite while Lopes is a +128 underdog on FanDuel.

Heading into the bout, there’s been plenty of talk that this will be Volkanovski’s final fight, win or lose. However, Volkanovski made it clear that should he win, he will continue to fight.

“If I were to get beaten up, would I come back to fight? No,” Volkanovski said to Ariel Helwani. “But that’s not my plan. Unless things go horrendously wrong, I’m planning on going back out there. Whether the next one, taking on an undefeated fighter in the UFC, or something like that, that’s appealing, maybe that could be one I finish up on.

“Right now, I plan on everything going well, getting my hand raised, and hopefully taking minimal damage so I can have a quick turnaround. The plan isn’t to retire, so I don’t know where that comes from.”

Although many had claimed this is a retirement fight for Volkanovski at UFC 325, he said that’s not true. Instead, he plans to get at least one more in this year before reevaluating his future. Yet, as long as Volkanovski continues to win and perform, he doesn’t see a need to retire.

Alexander Volkanovski has eyes on next opponent after UFC 325

When Volkanovski makes the walk to the Octagon at UFC 325, he will be rematching Diego Lopes, who was his last opponent.

However, Volkanovski doesn’t see an issue with it as he believes he will face Lerone Murphy or Movsar Evloev next.

“I know this is still gonna be an exciting fight, and I think Lerone Murphy and Movsar might be fighting. If that’s the case, I’ll just fight the winner of that,” Volkanovski added.

Volkanovski enters the bout with a record of 27-4 and is coming off a decision win over Lopes.