“I still love it, but how much longer do I want to do this to myself and my body? I do want to eventually sail off in the sunset.” Alexander Volkanovski’s message right before his UFC 314 fight with Diego Lopes sent the MMA fandom into a frenzy over potential retirement talks. With Volkanovski vs Lopes 2 in Sydney in February next year nearing, the same talks have been reignited once again with several posts online claiming this would be the 37-year-old’s final fight before his retirement. farewell rumors for the featherweight, ‘The Great’ has come clear on his stance.

After back-to-back losses against Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria put Volk in a difficult mental rut, he took a break from his UFC career. His resounding win against Lopes, fans and media speculated that it was his ‘last hurrah.’ UFC 325’s main card against Lopes again ended those suspicions, while newer rumors sizzled.

Alexander Volkanovski details his UFC roadmap ahead

Alexander Volkanovski joined 10 News Australia when the interviewer questioned whether the Sydney bout would count as his last. Volk wasted no time in putting those rumors to rest, sharing, “No, it’s not. It hasn’t been planned to be my last fight, so you don’t need to really worry about that. I think you’re going to just take it as it goes from here on, but there’s definitely no plans of that.”

Volkanovski isn’t at a career-defining crossroads, as he clarified. Instead, his focus is on “setting a statement” with a dominant win against Lopes for the rematch, while avoiding significant damage. However, some UFC veterans believe that the featherweight champion has been forced into a no-win situation, which could do more harm to his career than good.

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Volkanovski, in contrast, isn’t worried about that, as he named potential matchups after he gets another win over his opponent at UFC 325. “I think you’ve got a couple of other guys as well, like Movsar, Leroy Murphy—they’re undefeated and all that. So for the legacy, they look like they might be pretty good as well,” he shared.

Interestingly, Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy were in talks for a potential title shot against Volkanovski, which was overturned by the UFC for what some believe to be the worst possible matchup. UFC greats like Din Thomas and Aljamain Sterling chimed in with their disapproval for the matchup, citing UFC’s marketability priorities over merit-based fights.

Even Volkanovski’s head coach, Joe Lopez, isn’t particularly excited about the rematch in Sydney, while hinting at a potential show-stopper.

Alexander Volkanovski’s head coach dismisses Lopes rematch

The first bout with Diego Lopes was full of twists, as Lopes knocked the Aussie before getting dominated and outscored over the next 5 rounds. Following the dominant UD win, it only feels jarring for yet another showdown between the two fighters, where Volkanovski gains nothing special from the fight. ‘The Great’s head coach shared a similar sentiment as he quipped, “No disrespect to Diego because I think he’s a great fighter, but we just beat him.”

Lopez believes that Lerone Murphy or Movsar Evloev were better contenders on paper, with a formidable, undefeated MMA record. But fighters barely ever call the shots at UFC, with the promotion setting a later date for Volk’s return despite the featherweight initially looking to headline a December event.

“It’s always been a bit of a popularity contest, who’s the most popular,” Lopez didn’t hold back as he opined. Further, he shared his thoughts on Volkanovski’s retirement situation, personally preferring the featherweight to hang up his gloves after the Sydney event. By the looks of the featherweight’s own words, that hardly looks like the case.

However, Lopez kept the window open for a BMF title fight against someone of Volkanovski’s own generation, like Max Holloway or Dustin Poirier. “I’d be happy if this was his last title fight, and then if he wants to have a fun fight, that’d be good,” Lopez mentioned a fun farewell.

Whether that can come to reality is debatable. But one thing is clear: Alexander Volkanovski isn’t looking to hang up his gloves any time soon. Could that return be against the likes of Evloev or Murphy, or for a BMF belt, is up to the promotion. Which potential Volkanovski matchup are you excited for? Share your thoughts below.