UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski has made no secret of his desire to move up a weight class in his bid to become a dual title holder – and left the door open for a dream fight with Conor McGregor.
“Definitely, I’d want to do that – and it makes sense as well,” he told Wide World of Sports.
“Everyone calls out Conor because they look at it as a payday, and all that type of stuff – he’s another champion of my division.
“I’ve beat every other champ in my division, except for him.”
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The Irishman hasn’t fought in over a year, after the second of two consecutive losses to Dustin Poirier – but remains the biggest draw in the sport.
Every fighter you can think of has tried to make a fight with McGregor happen in the past decade, the money and fame that comes attached far exceeding any other match-up, whether it’s for a title or not.
But unlike some more fanciful characters, Volkanovski’s claim is a genuine one.
McGregor conquered the featherweight division before moving up to lightweight, where he became a dual champion with a win over Eddie Alvarez in 2016 – which is the trajectory that the Australian now finds himself on, with no serious contenders left at 145 pounds.
“I’m talking about moving up, he’s never going to be at featherweight again, so it makes a lot of sense. We can still take that title, that crown, who really owns that crown? Even if it’s at a different weight,” Volkanovski said.
“There’s a good story behind it, and then the circus around it, the payday, that’s all just a bonus.”
One thing Volkanovski would be well-prepared for regardless is the passionate fanbase that only McGregor brings with him.
The Australian was roundly booed in his recent title defence against Max Holloway, but said he used that as motivation.
“It’s still energy, right? It depends how you take it,” he said.
“A lot of people will hear boos and it’ll affect them, they’ll let it get to them. But for me? Energy’s energy. You can take it how you want it.
“You want to boo me? Alright, sweet, I’m going to take that and use it as fuel – and that’s exactly what I did.”
If not McGregor, then Volkanovski is eyeing former champion Charles Oliveira – who defended his belt successfully against American Justin Gaethje, but failed to make weight and as a result, was stripped of the title.
“I’ve just got to obviously heal the hand, and I’m looking at Charles Oliviera,” Volkanovski said.
“He’s the champ. He doesn’t actually have the belt right now but we all know he’s the champ, so I’ve got my eyes on him.”
Oliveira will now face Russian Islam Makhachev in October, to try and re-gain his lost gold.
But regardless of who it is waiting for the Australian at lightweight, he said it’s time for him to take that step up.
“The UFC know I deserve it, they know people are interested and that people want to see it.”
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