Volkanovski: Not retiring after UFC 325 fight vs. Lopes

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski shut down speculation that he may retire after his UFC 325 rematch with Diego Lopes.

Volkanovski, 37, is scheduled to defend his title against Lopes in the promotion's Jan. 31 main event in Sydney, 90 minutes from his hometown of Windang, Australia. He told 10 News' Brooke East that he hopes to win the fight and then return to the Octagon soon after, likely against either Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy.

"I don't know where that came from," Volkanovski said of the rumors that UFC 325 could be his final fight. "It hasn't been planned to be my last fight. So you don't need to really worry about that."

Volkanovski added that he isn't sure how much longer he plans to fight but acknowledged he's closer to the end of his career. Fighting professionally since 2012, Volkanovski joined the UFC in 2016 and has over 30 pro bouts.

"I think you're gonna just take it as it goes from here on," Volkanovski said. "But there's definitely no plans on (retirement yet). My plans are going out there and not taking too much damage. Going out there and really setting a statement, and being really impressive in there, and then maybe getting a quick turnaround. And then we'll see what happens from there."

Volkanovski began a second stint as 145-pound champion when he earned a unanimous decision win over Lopes in a vacant title bout at UFC 314 in April. He previously held the belt from 2019-24 before dropping it in a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria.