Volkanovski again calls for champion-vs.-champion showdown with Gaethje

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (38, Australia) has renewed his pitch to lightweight champion Justin Gaethje (37, United States) to share a final fight before both retire.

According to MMA Mania on Thursday (Korean Standard Time), Volkanovski again outlined his vision of a champion-vs.-champion superfight followed by a joint retirement during a recent interview with The Mac Life.

Volkanovski acknowledged that the lightweight division has no shortage of contenders but argued that a bout between himself and the retirement-contemplating Gaethje made sense.

Noting that Gaethje prefers not to revisit opponents he has already faced, Volkanovski said, "I haven't fought him yet. We could agree to do a superfight as the last fight — champion vs. champion."

He added that if both fighters walked away after the bout, fresh opportunities would open up for new contenders in both the featherweight and lightweight divisions.

Volkanovski's interest in a co-retirement fight is genuine. On Oct. 15, appearing on the podcast "Who The Fook Are These Guys?", he had already floated the idea of challenging Gaethje for the lightweight title and retiring together afterward.

In a subsequent interview with MMA Junkie, however, he clarified that his next fight does not have to be a retirement bout. He also raised the possibility of both men vacating their titles and meeting in a non-title superfight — meaning he has no immediate plans to retire, but that a special matchup with Gaethje could serve as his final fight if it comes together.

Volkanovski previously challenged lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (35, Russia) twice and lost both times. A fight with Gaethje would again put him on the lightweight stage for a superfight.

However, significant obstacles remain before any such matchup could be made. Arman Tsarukyan (30, Armenia) and Ilia Topuria (29, Spain) are among the contenders eyeing a lightweight title shot, and Gaethje has yet to accept Volkanovski's proposal.

Most immediately, Volkanovski has a featherweight title defense to get through first. On Sunday (Korean Standard Time), he faces Movsar Evloev (32, Russia) in the main event of UFC 333 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Evloev carries a perfect 20-0 professional record and has won 10 straight inside the UFC. Volkanovski will need to get past him before any superfight with Gaethje can move from idea to reality.