Alexander Volkanovski Wants to Fight Lopes, Evloev, Freire By Year’s End

Alexander Volkanovski wants to fight Diego Lopes, Movsar Evloev and Patricio Pitbull all in one year 👀

“I’m happy to fight 3 times this year… the beauty of having me a champion again, they can all have their title fight.”

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— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 17, 2025

Alexander Volkanovski is ideally looking at a hectic 2025.

Alexander Volkanovski is scheduled to fight Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The same card also features former Bellator champ Patricio Freire making his UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez.

When asked about a future potential matchup against Freire, Volkanovski says he is game if the UFC wants it. However, undefeated contender Movsar Evloev is already waiting in the wings for the next title shot at 145 pounds. Volkanovski is up for that challenge as well, all within this year. Volkanovski claims none of the hopeful title contenders have to take up any other matchups if he becomes champion again.

“I want to be active… Yair is a tough matchup, [Pitbull] puts on a performance and the UFC want it, I want to be active,” Volkanovski told TNT Sports. “So whoever it was, Lopes, Movsar, then [Pitbull] straight away. I want to do all that in one year. So I’m happy to fight three times this year. I can keep them all busy and give them all what they want. They all want a title shot. The beauty of having me as a champion again, they can all have their title fights the next one. No one has to wait around, no one has to have any other fights. I will keep yous busy, don’t worry.”

Volkanovski was on a 12-fight promotional winning streak until 2022 that included four featherweight title defenses. “The Great” has since gone 1-3 in his last four, a stretch that includes two failed lightweight title bids against Islam Makhachev and most recently, his featherweight title loss against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February 2024.