Alexander Volkanovski made a decisive assertion Saturday at UFC 325 in Sydney, efficiently defending his featherweight title in opposition to Diego Lopez through unanimous resolution. The judges scored the bout 49-46, 49-46, 50-45, making it Jose Aldo’s first protection of his second championship and tying Jose Aldo’s document for many title match wins in featherweight historical past.
Alexander Volkanovski about his subsequent match
After his win, Volkanovski revealed his expectations for future challengers. “I am an easy-to-understand champion. Should you deserve it, you are subsequent,” he mentioned within the post-match press convention. “I am not one to attempt to shield something or decide or select something. Simply go on the market and beat the fitting guys and earn your seat and I will be there ready for you. What I do not like are individuals who attempt to skip the road. You’ll be able to’t simply minimize the road simply since you speak too loudly or spend the evening. We have now killers on this division who’ve been striving for that chance for years.”
The Australian champion expressed frustration with fighters making an attempt to avoid legit contestants. “I’ve all the time mentioned the identical factor: Give me a worthy candidate. I constructed my legacy by defeating the primary candidate, not by chasing the best identify or the largest headline,” Volkanovski defined. “So if you would like that shot, go about what you are promoting. Do not search for shortcuts. Do not ask to leap over the blokes who’ve been doing it longer and are doing it in opposition to stronger opponents. You desire a champion, you have to get a champion.”
Volkanovski made it clear that the standards for figuring out the following challenger goes past official rankings. “I am not as considering rankings on paper as a lot as what you have truly executed. Are you beating the highest gamers? Are you beating different candidates? That is what issues,” he mentioned. “Should you’re No. 11 and also you beat three killers in a row, you’ll be able to speak. However in case you’re making an attempt to speak right into a shot whereas different guys are doing troublesome yards, I am not going to let that occur.”
The 37-year-old champion emphasised his willpower to stay energetic despite the fact that he’s cautious about his opponents. “I nonetheless wish to be energetic. I am not going to take a seat round and wait. However on the similar time, I am not in a rush to simply battle somebody for the sake of it,” Volkanovski mentioned. “At this stage in my profession, each battle has to have that means. It must be one thing that advances my legacy, it must be a problem that excites me, and it must be with somebody who has actually earned the fitting to share that cage with me.”
When requested about particular opponents, Volkanovski cited undefeated Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy as his most popular choices. “There’s Mofusah and Lerone Murphy. I hear they’ll battle. I do not know if it is only a rumor or not, but it surely’s nice. I will be keeping track of it. If my subsequent battle is certainly at featherweight, it is gotta be a type of two,” he informed reporters.
Just some days later, the UFC answered Volkanovski’s name. On Monday, the promotion formally introduced that Evloev and Murphy will meet in the principle occasion of UFC Battle Evening on March twenty first at London’s O2 Enviornment. The winner is anticipated to goal for his subsequent title shot in opposition to Volkanovski. Evloev, who ranks first within the division, comes into this matchup with an ideal document of 19-0, whereas Murphy sits in third place with a 17-0-1 mark and 9 straight wins since a tie in 2019.
Evloev has not fought since December 2024, when he defeated former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling by resolution at UFC 310. His resume contains wins over Sterling, Diego Lopez and British challenger Arnold Allen. Murphy final fought in August at UFC 319, the place he stopped Aaron Pico within the first spherical with a spinning again elbow, incomes him large recognition as a candidate for Knockout of the 12 months.
“My legacy is constructed on consistency. It isn’t only one massive win or one massive evening. It is exhibiting up time and time once more, overcoming the hardest battles and nonetheless discovering a technique to elevate your hand,” Volkanovski mirrored. “Folks can say what they need, however you’ll be able to’t debate a physique of labor. That is why I would like worthy candidates, as a result of each time I beat somebody, it provides a brand new highly effective chapter to that story.”
