Alexander Volkanovski has already earned respect as one of the greatest featherweights of all time. Still, when the greatest of all time debate comes up, one man’s legacy has always stood in ‘The Great’s way. That man is Jose Aldo, the inaugural UFC 145-pound champion. Well, the Aussie has hovered on the edge of surpassing ‘Junior’s status as the ‘GOAT’ for years, pushing the conversation with every title defense. Even then, it often felt like he remained just one step behind. But after UFC 325, did ‘Volk’ finally overtake the legendary Brazilian and claim the top spot for himself? 

At the second Paramount+ CBS event, Alexander Volkanovski lived up to his moniker as he convincingly beat Diego Lopes.  In Sydney, the New South Wales native defended the belt in his second run as champion, but the win carried even more weight. With that performance, Volkanovski matched Jose Aldo’s record of eight championship victories in the featherweight division; many believe he still needs to do more to fully topple him. At the same time, there’s a growing argument that ‘Volk’ may have already surpassed Aldo. Here’s how. 

Alexander Volkanovski vs Jose Aldo: A battle of prime featherweight champs 

To judge whether Alexander Volkanovski has truly surpassed Jose Aldo, we need to look at how their careers played out, starting with their prime years.

After dominating the WEC, Aldo became the inaugural UFC featherweight champion when the two companies merged, defeating Mark Hominick at UFC 129. That victory marked the beginning of an extraordinary run that still stands as one of the clearest examples of dominance in MMA.

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The Rio de Janeiro native went on to defend his belt seven times over five years, beating elite names like Frankie Edgar (UFC 156, UFC 200) and Chad Mendes twice (UFC 142, UFC 179). Those wins cemented him as the GOAT of the division, and arguably the sport, at that time. But then came an animated, brash, and dangerous Irishman who changed everything. At UFC 194, Conor McGregor landed an unbelievable 13-second knockout, ending the Brazilian’s seemingly indomitable reign in the blink of an eye.

Although ‘Junior’ reclaimed the belt against Frankie Edgar at UFC 200, things quickly unraveled. Back-to-back losses to Max Holloway (UFC 212, UFC 218) derailed a 30-year-old Aldo’s run at 145. The slide became even more symbolic when Alexander Volkanovski defeated him at UFC 237, a loss that effectively ended his chapter as a featherweight title contender. As one legend’s chapter closed, another began that very night.

After beating ‘The King of Rio’, Volkanovski earned his crack at the title and went on to defeat Max Holloway twice (UFC 245, UFC 251) to win the belt and secure a defense. That run sent a clear warning to the division. ‘The Great’ then finished Brian Ortega (UFC 266) and dominated The Korean Zombie (UFC 273), adding two more defenses and launching himself into superstardom. And in the trilogy bout against Holloway at UFC 276? The Aussie delivered a five-round masterclass that convinced everyone he was ready for the next challenge: The lightweight division.

As ‘The Great’s prime at 145 continued, Volkanovski’s reign soon faced its own set of challenges. Still, when it comes to pure dominance, Aldo’s run looks slightly stronger on paper, with seven straight title defenses before winning the belt again against Edgar, compared to Volkanovski’s four. However, when you stack their later period side by side, the conversation around who truly deserves the GOAT label becomes a lot clearer. 

‘The Great’s comeback topples ‘The King of Rio’s status   

Following an illustrious career at featherweight, Jose Aldo moved down to bantamweight and found a fair amount of success. Although he lost his 135-pound debut against Marlon Moraes, the former champion bounced back by beating three tough opponents, putting himself within reach of another title shot. However, Merab Dvalishvili handed him a decision loss, after which Aldo said goodbye to the UFC for the first time.

Outside of Dana White’s promotion, ‘Junior’ dabbled in boxing. He later returned to the UFC and defeated Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 on home soil. For a brief moment, fans believed the legend was back. But the former 145-pound king saw his run sour once again, as two more losses pushed him toward retirement. While Aldo’s comeback faded into a missed opportunity, Volkanovski managed to weather his own storm and get back on track.

After losing to Islam Makhachev in a razor-close fight at UFC 284, ‘The Great’ returned to featherweight and dominated Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290, reminding everyone he was still a force at 145 pounds. Still, Volkanovski suffered another setback, losing to the Dagestani on short notice at UFC 294, and then falling to Ilia Topuria via a brutal knockout, losing for the first time at featherweight at UFC 298. That stretch marked the lowest point of his career. Even so, the Aussie champion refused to settle and found a way to bounce back.

At UFC 314, ‘Volk’ delivered a strong comeback by defeating Diego Lopes, then repeated the feat in even more dominant fashion nine months later at UFC 325 and showing the world that he remains in his prime at 37, with plenty left in the tank.

So while Aldo retired at 38, the reigning featherweight champion looks sharp, dangerous, and refreshed at 37. When you factor in that comeback, something ‘Junior’ could not fully achieve, Alexander Volkanovski appears to have clearly surpassed him in terms of greatness at featherweight. If he wins one more, ‘Volk’s status could be cemented until someone finally topples him.

With that said, do you think ‘The Great’ has finally become the greatest featherweight of all time? Let us know in the comments section below.