Alexander Volkanovski drops HUGE announcement on Ilia Topuria fight after showing interest in UFC 300

Alexander Volkanovski most recently announced his intent to return to UFC octagon for a prospective matchup against Ilia Topuria.

Alexander Volkanovski drops HUGE announcement on Ilia Topuria fight after showing interest in UFC 300

Alexander Volkanovski replacing Charles Oliveira for UFC 294 ( Image via Imago )

Alexander Volkanovski currently ranks at #2 in the top pound-for-pound rankings in the UFC. Volkanovski recently unified the featherweight titles with a remarkable TKO victory over Yair Rodríguez at UFC 290. Volkanovski has achieved a winning streak that extended until his lightweight debut. He also has five successful featherweight title defenses to his name. Volkanovski ventured into the lightweight division, however losing to Islam Makhachev via unanimous decision.

Currently, there were talks about a potential title defense against the rising star, Ilia Topuria. Volkanovski had expressed his interest in returning to the Octagon as early as January. He has now confirmed his readiness for a January comeback, stating, “January sounds good to me,” on his official X account.

YouTube video

Ilia Topuria earned his shot at the featherweight title by decisively defeating former interim title challenger Josh Emmett earlier this year. Initially, Volkanovski had mentioned his desire for a lightweight championship rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 300. However, now he is set to face Topuria in a prospective bout at UFC 297 in 2024.

FS Video

Throughout his UFC career, Alexander Volkanovski has dominated the featherweight division, successfully defending his title on five occasions. His list of defeated opponents includes some of the top contenders in the sport. Thus fans cannot wait to witness his performance against a star like the 26-year-old Ilia Topuria.

Related: “Don’t want to wait around,” Alexander Volkanovski moves past Islam Makhachev rematch; prefers challenges over Inactivity

Alexander Volkanovksi’s recent arm surgery following Yair Rodriguez’s fight

Alexander Volkanovski recently underwent a surgical procedure on his left arm. The latest reports indicate that he is on the path to recovery. This news came directly from Volkanovski’s manager who shared it with Ariel Helwani.

Alexander Volkanovski Yair Rodriguez
Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 ( Image source: Twitter )

In a tweet, Helwani stated, “UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski had surgery on his left arm just yesterday…”. He narrated how as per Volkanovski’s manager the procedure was a success. Reportedly Alexander Volkanovski underwent six weeks of rehabilitation before resuming full-contact training.

Remarkably, Volkanovski had been grappling with this arm issue for an entire year. Most recently it reached an ‘unbearable’ point during his last fight camp which is when he decided to undergo surgery. The surgery followed Alexander Volkanovski’s impressive performance where he defended and unified his UFC featherweight title against Yair Rodriguez with a third-round TKO victory. Fans eagerly await his return for his prospective fight against Ilia Topuria.

In case you missed it!