When newly-minted UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski defends his strap, it could be in Australia.
In the wake of Sunday’s UFC 245 in Las Vegas, UFC President Dana White floated the idea of the Shoalhaven product making his first title defence on home turf.
“He looked good and that market [Australia] is massive for us,” White said during the post-fight press conference. “So, maybe we do that rematch in Australia, just off the top of my head.”
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Volkanovski, 8-0 in the UFC and 21-1 overall, is keen to follow in the footsteps of City Kickboxing stablemate Israel Adesanya and help bring a UFC title fight to Australia.
“It’d be unreal, wouldn’t it? It’d be good, I’d love that,” Volkanovski said. “I haven’t talked any business yet but it’d be something along those lines, but it’d be good to have a hometown crowd and defend the belt in front of them. The Aussie fans deserve that.”
A message from the CHAMP! @alexvolkanovski #UFC245 pic.twitter.com/Xje0Cwv3wI
— UFC Aus/New Zealand (@UFC_AUSNZ) December 15, 2019
Regardless of where Volkanovski will fight next, a rematch with Holloway, on a 14-fight win streak at featherweight before Sunday’s fight and widely regarded as a pound-for-pound GOAT contender, appears to be certain.
“100 per cent,” White said.
“I think he deserves it,” Volkanovski, now on a eight-fight win streak himself, said. “Do I have to beat him to prove I’m a better fighter? I think we had five rounds to do that, and I’m pretty sure I won it pretty clearly. But anyways, people are still going to doubt. They’re still going to. But I’ll be ready for it, and he does deserve it.”
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A feature of Volkanovski’s dethroning of Holloway was the insane workrate the title challenger unleashed; Volkanovski’s 157 significant strikes dwarfed Holloway’s 134 – with 75 leg strikes (a UFC featherweight record) forcing Holloway to switch stances and disrupt his game plan.
While cautious to offer up too much, the new 145-pound king reckons he’s got more surprises in store, should the rematch be confirmed.
“There might be a rematch so I can’t give too much away, can I,” he said.
“My coaches did a good job with research. Not just things that have worked well against him but also things that he’s done well.
“I’ll be better prepared next time, I know we know what works. We’re going to get an even better formula.
“He might think he’ll get me figured out again, but I’m just too powerful. They go one way, I go another. That’s the thing; I’m so well rounded. I can just go anywhere with it.”
The title win caps off a meteoric three year rise up the UFC's featherweight ranks, after the Sydney-sider debuted on the undercard of Whittaker's 2016 fight with Derek Brunson.
Along the way, Volkanovski beat Mizuto Hirota, Shane Young, Jeremy Kennedy and Darren Elkins as he steadily rose up the rankings.
His coming out fight was a second round win over Chad Mendes 11 months ago, which set up another huge opportunity against Jose Aldo in Brazil in May.
