Could another “Champ vs. Champ” superfight be on the horizon? Three years after Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev collided at UFC 294, Dana White and the UFC appear open to exploring a potential showdown between Volkanovski and Justin Gaethje.

“That’s a good question,” White remarked when Jim Rome asked about the probability of Volkanovski vs. Gaethje. “You know, I would pretty much do anything for Alexander Volkanovski at this point in his career. Great guy, great champion, great athlete.”

But the journey is far easier said than done, it seems. While he seems completely onboard with the matchup against Gaethje, a growing sense of apprehension clearly lingered for White.

“The big question is what does Justin Gaethje want to do?” he said. “You know Justin is coming off this unbelievable win at the White House. And you know he’s an incredible athlete too. What does he want to do next?”

White pointed to Gaethje’s recent appearances at events, including the Fanatics Fest, where the lightweight champion participated in fans’ events, WWE-style walkouts, and competitive challenges. At Dave Portnoy’s (Barstool Sports) 2026 Internet Invitational Golf tournament at Big Cedar Lodge, the UFC champion gained considerable attention for his backflip celebration.

Gaethje’s situation remains unpredictable. The lightweight champion is currently under spotlight for retirement-related rumors.

In sharp contrast to developments, when champions usually find themselves involved in talks for their next matchup or a title defense, in Gaethje’s case discussions have largely centered on his promotional exit.

Gaethje, who finally became a champion at the White House event, feels professionally he has little to prove. On November 14, he will turn 38. In a career spanning one and a half decades, he spent considerable time training and fighting, which seemingly took a toll on his health.

He wants to take a step back and focus on starting a family.

“I don’t have kids, I’ve never been married, and I’ve been committed to the game since I left high school in 2007,” he said. “I want children, but I don’t want children until I can be what my parents were for me. I’m almost done with this ride. I think definitely by 2027 I will be done, and I will be able to move on to those other parts of my life.”

Reports indicate Gaethje has entrusted his family and manager to help him decide the next chapter of his career.

The developments invariably complicated the situation surrounding Gaethje’s first title defense, including the potential matchup against Volkanovski. Even so, White refuses to abandon all hope.

“We’re talking to him, but we’ll figure it out,” he told Rome before adding, “He’s going to have to pull the trigger one way or the other to see if he wants to retire or continue to fight.”

Beyond his admiration for Volkanovski, White’s confidence in the matchup against Gaethje stems from past experience when he staged fights between two reigning champions.

Beyond Volkanovski vs. Gaethje: When champions collided under Dana White

At UFC 94, George St-Pierre defended his welterweight title against lightweight title holder BJ Penn. In 2016, as featherweight champion, Conor McGregor moved up to challenge lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205.

More recently, after Jan Blachowicz defended his light heavyweight title from middleweight Israel Adesanya at UFC 259, Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski clashed in a “Champ vs. Champ” duel at UFC 284 and UFC 294.

White’s latest comments follow Volkanovski’s statement at the post-fight press conference of UFC 333, where he defended his featherweight title from Movsar Evloev.

The Australian champion initially expressed interest in a matchup against Gaethje.

“I believe that we could do this and not hold the division up,” he said. “Again, whether it’s our retirement fight or just, you know, putting it on the line, which will be a cool little bit of a super fight, and 38-year-olds just going on at it, and then, you know, then we’ll leave it all and let all the young fellas sort themselves out.”

However, as the situation unfolded with no positive signal from Gaethje, Volkanovski pragmatically shifted his focus to Arman Tsarukyan, the second-ranked lightweight contender.

“If I was in the lightweight division and I was champion at lightweight,” Volkanovski told Ariel Helwani. “I’m fighting Arman 100%. If Gaethje doesn’t want to do that, I’ll do it.”

Volkanovski revealed he will vacate his featherweight championship and move to 155 pounds for a title clash against Tsarukyan if Gaethje retires from the UFC.

The big question now is whether White and the UFC can help him turn those ambitions into reality.