Volkanovski, closer to the belt after Topuria's promotion to lightweight: "It's the perfect scenario for him"
After a disastrous 2024, it looks like the planets have aligned in favour of Alexander Volkanovski in 2025 : the former UFC featherweight champion ended his long reign abruptly with a KO of Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 a year ago, but El Matador's move up to lightweight has left the Australian with a perfect opportunity to regain his title, after losing to the Spanish-Georgian and taking the rest of the year off to recover from the setback of his third defeat in his last four fights.
For many, luck is once again smiling on The Great, who with Topuria out of the equation has a much better chance of regaining the belt . This is the case of Michael Bisping, the former middleweight champion and current UFC commentator, who in a video on his YouTube channel claims that this move has created the "perfect scenario" for the former champion.
"I love Volkanovski. He's a tremendous guy, he's a legendary fighter, one of the best featherweights the sport has ever seen, but facing Topuria again I don't know if it was the best idea . I'm not saying I couldn't beat him, because every fight is different and, of course, in the first one I was coming off that brutal knockout against Islam Makhachev, but this time it's different. He's 36 now. Nevermind the 35, nevermind that curse, he's 36, he's not a youngster," explains Bisping.
With a rematch off the table and the belt vacant, Volk will fight for the title against Diego Lopes — currently ranked No. 3 in the division — at UFC 314 on April 12. It won't be an easy task either, as the Brazilian Lopes is the division's most promising contender and comes into this fight on a five-fight winning streak . However, Bisping is more optimistic.
" There is now a good chance that Volkanovski will become champion again and, who knows, maybe defend his title again, twice more, and earn a few million dollars more . This, in my opinion, is the perfect scenario for Alexander Volkanovski," the former champion concludes.
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