Soon after Alexander Volkanovski destroyed Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273, the featherweight champion expressed his desire to go for a second belt at lightweight.
Volkanovski, who's recorded three title defenses since becoming champ in 2019, said he's open to moving up in weight as early as his next fight if a trilogy matchup with Max Holloway doesn't materialize at 145 pounds. The Australian briefly competed at lightweight - and even welterweight - before joining the UFC.
Volkanovski has climbed all the way to No. 2 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings as a featherweight, and he's on track to becoming an all-time great - as his nickname "The Great" suggests. However, the 155-pound division is a whole other beast. To assess how he'd do up a weight class, let's take a look at the theoretical matchups between Volkanovski and the top-six fighters in the UFC lightweight division.
Charles Oliveira (champion): This may sound disrespectful, but Oliveira is always a bit of a wild card. He's not invincible - Michael Chandler almost had him out of there in their fight, and Dustin Poirier was going to town in Round 1 of their battle. But for the last four years, Oliveira has always found a way to pull out the win. Ultimately, Volkanovski could give Oliveira serious problems on the feet, while Oliveira's opportunistic submissions essentially make this a 50/50 fight.
Justin Gaethje (tied No. 1): Volkanovski is a more complete fighter than Gaethje, and he has a higher fight IQ. But this matchup would take more of a physical toll on Volkanovski than any other at 155 pounds. Gaethje is somewhat of a wrecking ball in the Octagon, as he walks forward until his opponents wilt under his pressure. "The Highlight" has extreme power, and that could be the difference-maker against the smaller fighter in Volkanovski. Still, Volkanovski's overall skill set would make this a competitive matchup.
Dustin Poirier (tied No. 1): This is another close bout on paper. Although Poirier is a former featherweight, he's become a filled-out lightweight after competing in the division since 2015. Volkanovski-Poirier is one of the more fascinating matchups on this list so far since Poirier's technical striking matches Volkanovski's. This one would come down to whether Volkanovski can use his wrestling skills to his advantage. Poirier's only losses since 2016 came against grapplers in Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Islam Makhachev (No. 3): Makhachev is the toughest lightweight opponent for Volkanovski by quite a bit - like he is for most people. The protege of retired ex-champ Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is an extremely talented grappler who's mauled most of the opponents he's faced in recent years. At the same time, the well-rounded Volkanovski would no doubt be one of the tougher fights for Makhachev. But Makhachev still has to be favored.
Beneil Dariush (No. 4): This is where Volkanovski starts to become clearly favored. Dariush is a bigger lightweight, so it may take a bit of adjusting from Volkanovski to get used to that size disadvantage. But skill for skill, Volkanovski is clearly the better man, especially on the feet. Volkanovski-Dariush could get interesting on the mat - Dariush is a top jiu-jitsu threat - but Volkanovski might even be able to control him there, too. That's how good he is.
Michael Chandler (No. 5): What makes this matchup interesting is Chandler's one-punch knockout power. Just ask Dan Hooker, Benson Henderson, or many others. But aside from catching Volkanovski with the perfect shot, it's tough to see how Chandler beats him. The 33-year-old champion would pick Chandler apart on the feet and could dominate him on the ground if needed.
Biggest advantage for Volkanovski at 155 pounds: His fight IQ. Volkanovski would immediately become one of the division's smartest fighters, and that alone would take him to victory against a lot of opposition.
Biggest disadvantage for Volkanovski at 155: His lack of power. Often when fighters move up in weight, some of the physical advantages they had in their old division aren't as noticeable. Against bigger men, it'd be more difficult for Volkanovski to have an impact in the stand-up department.
Final verdict: At best, Volkanovski is championship material. At worst, he's the fifth-best lightweight. Either way, a move up in weight would be viewed as a success.
