Alexander Volkanovski is exploring a side hustle at lightweight while he waits to get another shot at the featherweight title.
Islam Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier with a fifth-round submission in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 302. Poirier afterward hinted at the possibility of retirement following the loss.
But Volkanovski hasn’t completely given up hope that Poirier will return to the fray, with the former featherweight champion calling for a lightweight showdown with “The Diamond” while he waits to challenge for the 145-pound belt again.
“Maybe, just maybe, it depends on what I’m doing and when I’m doing it, but obviously I’d love to fight later this year… I don’t want to wait too long. So, if the timing is right, me and Dustin could have a good fight,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “I don’t know, he just wants a good, fun fight. Obviously, we have a lot of respect for each other. And I think it would be a great fight.”
“So I’m happy to do that while I wait for the featherweight title. A lightweight fight with a guy like Dustin Poirier could be awesome. So, this is the first time I’ve heard of it here. Something could happen. Dustin, you’re a legend. Cheer up. It was still a great performance. Have a little fun in there, dance around and let me know what you think.”
Volkanovski first faced Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 284 in February 2023 and lost by unanimous decision. “The Great” bounced back with a knockout win over Yair Rodriguez in July this year and quickly accepted a rematch with Makhachev to replace Charles Oliveira. Volkanovski was knocked out by the lightweight champion with a powerful head kick at UFC 294 in October 2023. The Australian then lost the featherweight title to Ilia Topuria by second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February this year, falling to 1-3 in his past four fights.
