The UFC 325 headlining fight is here, and it’s not something many would expect. Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski is preparing to conquer the stage against Diego Lopes. While that sparked some backlash, it is not the concerning part. Rather, the UFC fandom is in stitches over whether this would be ‘The Great’s’ last fight ever.

The featherweight has been contemplating hanging up his gloves since the beginning of this year. “I don’t know how much longer I have left in this,” Volkanovski’s chillingly direct statement echoed on The Ariel Helwani Show. However, his coach suggests a new rejoicing detail about his plan before leaving the octagon for good.

Joe Lopez hints at a fun farewell fight

The FW Champion’s head coach, Joe Lopez, joined Submission Radio to discuss Volk’s recent fight confirmation with Diego Lopes. The pair first met in April, when Lopes knocked the Australian challenger down, only to be outscored and defeated in a sudden turn of events. Hence, a rematch in Sydney, right at the Aussie’s home country, feels like the perfect walk-off from UFC, which his coach has dismantled.

“I’d be happy if he ended at this one, especially on a win. And then, you know, the only thing we’ve ever spoken about is maybe fighting for a BMF belt against—even though no one—probably against Max or Dustin or one of the guys from his era, not a young gun,” Lopez clarified. While he wants Volk to step away high off a win at this fight, the two have discussed a potential BMF fight.

“Just have a fun fight, but from that era. Not one of these new guys. Not for a belt — BMF or something like that. Something special, a special fight. But yeah, me personally, 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,” he continued.

Apparently, Volkanovski wants a legendary walkoff from the UFC, but more than that, he wants something to remember for the rest of his life. ‘The Great’ has already had one of the most legendary careers in featherweight history. He won the featherweight title first in 2019, defeating Max Holloway via UD. Following five successful title defenses, Volkanovski’s dominance finally snapped against Ilia Topuria, losing his belt in 2024.

Regaining the belt only a short year later, Volkanovski proved what makes him a name to beat in the UFC. And if Joe Lopez had his way, he believed that to be his perfect farewell to MMA. “I would have been happy if Alex’s last fight was in Miami, you know, and he got it back. But at the end of the day, it’s up to Alex to make that decision. He wants to go again. And if he wants to go, I’ll be here and back him up,” his coach quipped.

But Volk had a different plan, and Lopez is there to support him all the way through it.

Volkanovski has long wanted a BMF fight

It’s not retirement talks that have ignited a spirit for the ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ title, but they surely have catalysed what was in Volkanovski’s mind for more than a year. Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway have crossed each other’s paths on three fated occasions before, ending in a 3-0 for ‘The Great’. However, when Holloway knocked Justin Gaethje out at UFC 300 for the BMF title, suddenly the stakes were higher.

“Would I fight him (Holloway)? I mean, now that he’s got a BMF we might have to do this, you know what I mean? I was always sitting there like, ‘How could you do it?’ But maybe there is that something there, there’s a BMF now. For me, it’s 3-0, how can you get yourself out of bed for that? A BMF is something I haven’t touched before, so maybe we can do that, you know? So we’ll see what happens,” he shared.

Riding fresh off two consecutive losses against Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria was probably not the best time to go for the title, though. However, after regaining his dominance back in the featherweight division, ‘the Great’ is more than willing to give BMF a shot, at least from what his coach has shared. Can Volkanovski get a BMF shot against Holloway?