Alexander Volkanovski will enter the Octagon against Diego Lopes at UFC 325 in front of his home crowd. While the rematch will take place this weekend, Arman Tsarukyan recently expressed his interest in moving down to the 145 lbs division. It immediately caught fans’ attention and sparked talk of a superfight between Volkanovski and Tsarukyan. Seeing it as an exciting challenge, the Aussie champion also stayed open to the idea. However, the featherweight champion’s training partner, Dan Hooker, has now weighed in to provide his thoughts. 

At the marquee card in Sydney, Alexander Volkanovski’s City Kickboxing teammate Dan Hooker is set to face Benoit Saint Denis in the co-main event. In his last outing, ‘The Hangman’ fought Arman Tsarukyan in a Qatar headliner and suffered a second-round submission loss. Despite that defeat, the Kiwi still rates the Armenian as one of the best fighters in the world based on firsthand experience. Even so, Hooker believes the featherweight champion would gain very little in terms of legacy by fighting a depleted number one lightweight contender at 145 lbs after UFC 325. 

Dan Hooker advises Alexander Volkanovski to evade Arman Tsarukyan 

“That’s a fight I wanna see. Both very well-rounded fighters. But then, like, I don’t know—any questions about their fight would be like if their fight got booked. The only question is gonna be: what does Arman look like at that weight? It’s not really… and then what? We’re not gonna sit there and be like, this is the best Arman Tsarukyan. Like, he gets beat and then what? It’s gonna be like Volk beats one of the best fighters in the world, only for people to think, ‘Oh no, the weight cut f—ed up Arman.’ It’s kind of a nothing to achieve from that fight, I guess,” Hooker said in a Submission Radio interview. 

While the lightweight contender believes Alexander Volkanovski would not gain much in terms of legacy, Arman Tsarukyan still ranks among the best lightweights in the world and currently sits at number two in the division. If the Aussie champion actually took that fight, the 29-year-old Armenian would still draw plenty of cheers from the crowd. However, several issues complicate the matchup.

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‘Ahalkalakets’ is a big 155 lbs fighter who cuts a significant amount of weight. Dropping down to featherweight would put him through a brutal weight cut. However, even if he managed to make it, the risk of Tsarukyan collapsing at the weigh-ins, similar to what happened to Cameron Smotherman at UFC 324 weigh-ins, would remain high. Moreover, the Armenian contender is also targeting the winner of Max Holloway vs Charles Oliveira as his next opponent.

With doubts continuing to surround a Volkanovski vs Tsarukyan matchup that feels more like a fantasy right now, ‘The Great’ has taken time to address what could be next. He also made it clear that the fight does not offer much in terms of legacy for him.  

‘The Great’ reflects on his legacy ahead of UFC 325 rematch

Although UFC fans were ecstatic to see Alexander Volkanovski take on Diego Lopes once again, the matchup still raised a few questions. Fans appreciate what the Brazilian brings to the table. However, many hoped to see the featherweight champion defend his belt against Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy, two undefeated contenders they believe would add more to ‘The Great’s legacy. 

The 37-year-old champion previously admitted he felt slightly disappointed about not facing those two challengers. Now, Volkanovski has openly said that fighting Lopes for the second time in a row does not really add much to his legacy either. 

“Some people might have wanted to see me against maybe a Movsar, an undefeated guy, maybe for legacy reasons and people that are in the know, but then you’ve got everyone that still just want to watch me fight. They’re like, ‘Oh this is going to be exciting’, last time was exciting. Now we get to have this in Sydney so I think they’re all in for a treat. But yeah, obviously legacy-wise, having a rematch against someone I just beat, is it going to be doing so much for my legacy? Probably not,” Volkanovski told ESPN Australia.

Now, as Volkanovski has agreed to face a familiar opponent in front of his home crowd, the door remains open for a showdown with an undefeated contender down the line. Reports suggest Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy will headline UFC Fight Night London against each other, with the featherweight champion expected to get his next challenger from that bout.

That said, what do you think the future holds for Alexander Volkanovski? If he gets past Diego Lopes for a second time, who do you think he should face next? Let us know in the comments section below.