Alexander Volkanovski says surgery won't prevent rematch with Islam Makhachev in October (Video)
Alexander Volkanovski has unfinished business with Islam Makhachev.
Volkanovski retained the UFC featherweight title with a dominant third-round TKO of Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC 290. In addition to the rest of his run as the UFC's featherweight king since 2019, the one-sided nature of the bout sparked speculation as to what is next for Vokanovski.
And Volkanovski has hinted that he's eyeing a potential bout up at lightweight again for a rematch with Makhachev, the current UFC lightweight champion. The two met in February in the main event of UFC 284, with Makhachev ultimately winning a controversial decision to retain, making Makhachev just the second person ever to defeat Volkanovski in professional MMA.
There could be a potential opening for the matchup as well. Charles Oliveira, who was expected to receive a rematch with Makhachev at UFC 294 this October in Abu Dhabi, told TSN's Aaron Bronsteter that October may be too soon for him to challenge for the lightweight title.
Alexander Volkanovski tries to quell everyone's fears about him needing surgery
There just seems to be one slight issue. During his in-Octagon post-fight interview, Volkanovski suggested that he would need some minor surgery on his arm.
While the assumption would be that Volkanovski might miss most of the remainder of 2023 with such — if not, all of it — he claims that's not the case.
"I didn't mean to scare everyone," Volkanovski said at the UFC 290 post-fight press conference. "It's not a big deal. I'll be back ASAP. It'll be a quick one; just need to get something sorted. I'll be training."
Volkanovski made mention of last year's International Fight Week, when he defeated Max Holloway in their trilogy bout at UFC 276. Volkanovski needed surgery after breaking his thumb. Despite that, Volkanovski weighed in as the backup fighter for Makhachev and Oliveira's fight at UFC 280 just under four months later.
Though he didn't clarify what exactly he needed surgery for specifically, Volkanovski claims it's not as bad as a broken bone.
"I broke my hand last International Fight Week," Volkanovski said. "And you see me in Abu Dhabi ready to fight Islam or Charles Oliveira. That was a broken bone. This ain't a broken bone."
"I'll be training. I'm professional. I want to be active. I'll be back in there before most of the other champions anyway."
It should be noted that a fight with Ilia Topuria is a possible next option for Volkanovski as well. The two had an intense staredown, seen on pay-per-view, as Volkanovski was heading to the back after his win.
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