Alex Volkanovski’s ‘tricky’ dilemma in bid to reclaim UFC belt on home soil

Alex Volkanovski is ready to rumble again, but he faces a “tricky” dilemma as he looks to win his UFC belt back on home soil next year.

Alex Volkanovski is targeting a return to the octagon in February when UFC 312 comes to Sydney.

Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena will host the UFC’s latest Australian card on February 9 following the raging success of UFC 293 in Sydney and UFC 305 and UFC 284 in Perth.

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Volkanovski will fight for the first time since a crushing KO loss to Ilia Topuria in February that saw him lose his featherweight belt that he had held since 2019.

The 36-year-old Aussie is eager to fight again and will be eagerly watching in person when Max Holloway challenges Topuria at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

“I’ll be over there,” Volkanovski told news.com.au from the Ultimate Feed Championship at the Sportsbet Caufield Cup on Saturday.

“I’m looking forward to that, I’ll be keeping a close eye on it.

“They’re both great fighters I would have to lean towards Max. I think he’s a little bit more seasoned and he’s proved himself a lot more, so I’ll go with him for now.”

Volk wants to bounce back from losing his UFC featherweight belt. Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images/AFP.

The loss to Topuria came five months after a brutal knockout defeat at the hands of Islam Makhachev when Volkanovski stepped in to take the fight on just 11 days notice.

“I have had time off but I mean the schedule wasn’t as heavy as it usually is,” he said.

“I’m still training pretty hard. I had a good break compared to what I’m used to but I’m ready to get back in there in February. They’re bringing the UFC to Sydney, so hoping to make something happen for that card.”

Volkanovski has fought and beaten Holloway via decision three times, and he could face the American a fourth time — which is extremely rare in UFC.

There has only been one quadrilogy in UFC history, with former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno fighting Deiveson Figueiredo four times.

The Aussie wants to fight Topuria to reclaim his featherweight belt, but believes Holloway is more likely to be willing to fight in Sydney,

“Out of the two, if I had to pick it would be Ilia because I want that belt back, but I’m sure he fights in Sydney.” Volkanovski said.

Alexander Volkanovski with Collingwood’s Josh Daicos at the Sportsbet Caufield Cup. (Photo by Wayne Taylor/Getty Images for Sportsbet)

“If Max wins, I think I’ve got more of a chance of fighting in Sydney. It’s a tricky one. The one I want more is Ilia but I definitely want to fight in Sydney.

“I’m excited to get back in there, it has to be for gold. Getting it back and defending it, that’s the main focus right now.”

History would suggest age isn’t on Volkanovski’s side in his quest to be featherweight champion again, but he feels he has plenty of life left in his UFC career.

“Of course, I’m still feeling great,” he said.

“Even in training I still feel strong as ever. I’ve pulled the load off a little bit, the volume (of training) hasn’t been as much, which as been good. The intensity’s been right there, my body’s holding up fine.”

Hawks skipper on AFL Trade Period, excited for 2025

Hawthorn captain James Sicily is optimistic the Hawks can continue their rapid rise up the AFL ladder after landing two big name recruits in the trade period.

The Hawks have added West Coast’s Tom Barrass and St Kilda’s Tom Barrass to their defensive stocks, which could allow Sicily to spend more time up forward.

“I’m pretty excited about the prospect of having a bit more flexibility within my role,” Sicily told news.com.au.

“If Sam (coach Sam Mitchell) wants me to go forward or anywhere on the ground, I’m excited by that, knowing we’ve got some pretty good defenders among our back seven or eight that I can be a little bit more flexible, I’m excited.”

James Sicily is optimistic the Hawks can go far in 2025. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Sicily praised the Hawthorn’s staff for attracting high profile recruits to the club.

“Maybe the way we finished off the year helped,” he said of Hawthorn’s rise up to ladder to finish seventh and win an elimination final.

“I think ‘Mitch’ does a great job at selling the vision, what to expect if they were to come.

“I knew Josh probably the last four or five years through a mutual friend, Bradley Hill, who plays for St Kilda.

“It’s pleasing to know players are choosing us, yeah it’s a good feeling.”

Hawthorn recruited defenders Josh Battle and Tom Barrass.

Recovering from losing the first five games of the season to make finals has Sicily hopeful his young side can improve again in 2025 and challenge the top teams.

“I think there is a quiet level of optimism and excitement about what next year brings,” the 29-year-old said.

“In saying that, we know there’s hard work to be done and it won’t just happen because we’ve got two extra pretty good players. Pretty excited amongst the playing group as well as the fans and members are pretty excited about the prospect of next year.”

Asked what Hawthorn ceiling in 2025 is, Sicily said: “It’s hard to know. I didn’t anticipate us getting to the finals this year after our 0-5 start.

“The expectation is to win silverware. That’s why everyone plays the game. It’s hard to put a ceiling on it, because you don’t know what you don’t know.

“There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge. I’m excited, I feel as though we’re back on track to where we want to be.

Sicily said the Hawks’ rebuild was “probably a year ahead of where we’d be at”.

“But that’s just a credit to the coaching staff and the program, getting us better and the boys putting in a tonne of hard work and having some strong reflections throughout the year,” he added.

“It should be an exciting year next year.”

Originally published as Alex Volkanovski’s ‘tricky’ dilemma in bid to reclaim UFC belt on home soil