Ahead of his title defense at home, Alexander Volkanovski has addressed recent retirement rumors.
On January 31, Alexander Volkanovski will make the second title defense of his second featherweight title reign when he rematches Diego Lopes in the UFC 325 main event from Sydney, Australia.
The announcement of a rematch between ‘The Great’ and Lopes didn’t go down well with the UFC fans, who accused the UFC of turning into the WWE, threatening to boycott the event.
And now at 37 years old, rumors have recently surfaced online that the Australian could retire following his clash against the Brazilian.
Do you think Alexander Volkanovski will or should retire after UFC 325?
Will the featherweight champion's homecoming be his last dance? Share your thoughts below.
Volkanovski admits retirement is possible at UFC 325
Over the last few years, Volkanovski has made it clear that he needs to be working towards something and staying busy otherwise he suffers.
However, having been knocked out brutally twice in his last three fights, fans have been worried that Volkanovski’s time in the sport could be coming to an end soon.
And ahead of his title defense in Australia, Volkanovski has given his stance on retirement, admitting that he will likely retire if things go ‘horrendously wrong’ against Lopes.
“I don’t know where (the retirement rumors) came from exactly,” Volkanovski told Ariel Helwani.
“If I were to get beaten up, would I come back to fight? No. But that’s not in my plans. Unless things go horrendously wrong, I’m planning on going back out there. Whether it’s the next one taking on an undefeated fighter in the UFC or something like that, that’s appealing, maybe that’s one I could finish up on.
“Right now, I plan on everything going well, getting my hand raised and taking minimal damage so I can have a quick turnaround and continue fighting.”
Things going ‘horrendously wrong’ could be getting knocked out by Lopes, who has the capability to do so with three finishes in the UFC so far.
Volkanovski already knows who he wants to fight next
Before his rematch against Lopes was announced, Volkanovski made it clear that he wanted to fight either Lerone Murphy or Movsar Evloev.
And after revealing that the two are likely fighting each other next, ‘The Great’ stated that he will fight either one of them next.
Having stated that he may retire after beating someone undefeated, if all things go well for Volkanovski against Lopes, we could see the legendary Aussie retire in his next fight.
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