Volk Is In Training; Next Fight Is Imminent
Alexander Volkanovski is in Thailand, training with former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling as he prepares for his comeback.
Volkanovski could make his return at UFC 314. That event is scheduled for April 12 in Miami. Volk has not had a UFC fight since losing to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. He lost his UFC Featherweight Title after Topuria knocked him out in the second round. The defeat was a major setback since Volkanovski saw his reign as champion end after four years.
It was also the first time he had been knocked out at featherweight. That took his record to three losses out of his last four fights, having previously lost twice to Islam Makhachev when he moved up to lightweight. That left serious question marks over whether Volkanovski should continue and whether he would be able to secure a title shot.
Volk has said that he is trying desperately to secure a rematch with Topuria. The latter defended his belt by stopping Max Holloway at UFC 308 in his last fight. He gave Holloway the first stoppage defeat of his career. After the fight, Topuria met Volkanovski in the octagon, saying that if there was anyone who deserved a rematch, it would be Volk.
What’s Next?
However, there are suggestions that Topuria could move up to being lightweight. He is targeting a fight with Makhachev. But Makhachev has his own ambitions of becoming a two-weight UFC champion, as he could move up to middleweight to target a fight with Dricus Du Plessis. That has left Volkanovski in a difficult situation. If it is not Topuria, he could have taken on Holloway. Max has the BMF belt. But Holloway has said that he wants to fight at lightweight after being stopped by Topuria at featherweight.
Volk’s Training
That is unlikely to be suitable for Volkanovski, whose focus is on featherweight. There is also the opportunity to fight Diego Lopez in what could be an interim bout. But that is not the big name that Volkanovski would want. And yet, it would give him a shot at the title, even if he has to wait a little longer than he may have been hoping for. Either way, he is back in training, as the following clip demonstrates. We can see Volk putting in the hours in the gym, as he also has Sterling by his side.
“We just got here in Thailand — Phuket. … Got in last night. Obviously, I’m here to do a bit of training camp. Hopefully, a fight announcement soon. But we’re in camp. We’ve been in camp for a while, doing a pre-camp camp. So now we’re pretty much in camp. “Good bodies here for us already. At Bangtao, you’ve always got good bodies, but I’ve got Craig Jones that’s come with us. … We’ve got a heap of good guys to work with over here. I think Aljo is over here as well, so maybe we’ll get some training in. So it’s going to be a good trip,” Volkanovski said
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
