Last year, Alexander Volkanovski broke the 35-year-old curse to become the featherweight king once again. However, as he prepares to face Diego Lopes in a rematch at UFC 325 in Sydney, retirement talk around ‘The Great’ has started once again. Now, even a UFC champion has weighed in with his verdict on what should be the Aussie’s future following the second Paramount+ card.

There are certainly no questions about what Volkanovski has achieved in the sport so far. But with the New South Wales native now 37 years old, many believe this is the perfect time for him to retire on top. The fact that UFC 325 is set to take place in Sydney has only added fuel to that idea. Also, ‘Volk’s retirement in front of a cheering home crowd has amplified the conversation even more. Because of that, Tom Aspinall also believes the featherweight champ should call it a career regardless of the result on January 3 (February 1 in Australia).

Pimblett suggests shortcut to Volkanovski’s second title

“I hope he does retire, and I’m the biggest Volk fan out there. I want him to retire. I think if he wins this one, leave it.” The heavyweight champ said on his YouTube channel in collaboration with Paddy Pimblett.

Aspinall has long been known as a fan of Volkanovski and has always wanted the best for him. Still, despite the heavyweight king’s wish, ‘The Great’ seems to have already made up his mind. Last month, in a 10 News interview, the two-time 145-pound champ revealed that he has no plan or desire to retire anytime soon. He also hinted at giving an undefeated contender a chance, who is either Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy.

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Adding to the 37-year-old’s growing ambition, Paddy Pimblett proposed an idea that Volkanovski might like. Comparing it to Tom Aspinall’s rise to the undisputed title, ‘The Baddy’, who is set to fight Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title, believes he could be promoted to undisputed champion without facing the titleholder, similar to how Aspinall did without fighting Jon Jones. Based on that scenario, Pimblett believes, could open the door for Volkanovski to chase a second belt once again.

“I think if I win, though, and he wins, then I get upgraded to undisputed title like you did. That wouldn’t be surprising if he thinks that’s the perfect opportunity to win the lightweight belt.” Pimblett added in Aspinall’s YouTube video.

For the unversed, the Aussie champ has also expressed his desire to fight for the double belt once again after losing his chances against Islam Makhachev twice. Because of that, the promotion may not give him another opportunity so soon. That said, there is another challenger waiting in the wings, and he may have already lost hope of ever fighting Volkanovski. 

Lerone Murphy believes ‘The Great’ will retire before facing him

At UFC 319, Lerone Murphy finished Aaron Pico with a vicious spinning elbow knockout. The undefeated English featherweight stunned everyone with that perfectly timed shot, and even Alexander Volkanovski invited him to face him last December. However, Dana White ultimately snubbed Murphy from the featherweight title picture by announcing the UFC 325 headliner, leaving the Brit deeply disappointed.

Now, with ongoing chatter surrounding ‘The Great’s retirement, Murphy believes he may never get the chance to face arguably the greatest 145er of all time. And according to the Englishman, it’s not the belt that hurts the most. It’s the possibility of never sharing the Octagon with Volkanovski.

“Now I don’t get the chance to fight Volkanovski. I know he’s going to retire after this fight. That’s a legend. Being able to test my skills against a legend, to have his name on my resume, is massive. It’s something that I’m never going to be able to get now because of that. Not because I didn’t earn it, because of obviously favoritism and whatever.” Murphy told Demetrious Johnson in a recent interview.

Reportedly, the UFC is now planning a clash between Murphy and Movsar Evloev, two undefeated featherweights, for London in March. The winner of that fight could potentially earn a shot at Alexander Volkanovski, possibly toward the end of 2026. But if the featherweight champion loses his crown once again at UFC 325, there’s a chance he could still ride off into the sunset, even in defeat.

That said, do you think the Aussie should retire in Sydney? Or should ‘Volk’ continue fighting the division’s top contenders like he wants to?