It’s taken a little while, but Australian Alexander Volkanovski is finally reaping the rewards that come with being the UFC’s most dominant champion.
Now No.1 in the organisation’s pound-for-pound rankings, Volkanovski could soon lock up that spot after boss Dana White confirmed he was next up for a shot at the lightweight title.
Volkanovski currently holds the featherweight belt — which he took off Max Holloway back in 2019 — and has defended it four times.
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His dominance in the division has had the 34-year-old looking up for some time now, and it appears his shot at ‘champ-champ’ status will come, one way or another.
That possibility became a reality when Volkanovski was named as the back-up for Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev’s 155-pound title bout at UFC 280 this weekend.
And it really sunk in Tuesday after White confirmed the Australian was next up, regardless.
“It makes sense, yeah,” White told Barstool Sports when asked if Volkanovski would get the next opportunity to challenge for the lightweight title.
Since Conor McGregor first completed the feat — also jumping from featherweight to lightweight — three other fighters have become double champions in the UFC: Amanda Nunes (active), Daniel Cormier, and Henry Cejudo.
It’s an elite group Volkanovski wants to join.
“That’s where we’re going with it,” Volkanovski told Ariel Helwani earlier this month.
“It depends on how things go, whether it’s going to be next, whether I’m defending the featherweight or I’m fighting lightweight. That’s sort of where we’re going to have to wait and see.
“If someone wins this and they can’t fight for too long, I’ll defend the featherweight then I’ll wait until the lightweight is ready. It definitely puts me in position to be next for the lightweight title. It’s pretty obvious and pretty clear that’s what’s happening. That’s why I’m doing this.”
