Before Ilia Topuria entered the Octagon to leave his stamp on the gold, Alexander Volkanovski was crafting a legacy that seemed destined for immortality in the featherweight division. The Aussie ace was methodically carving his name into MMA’s Mount Rushmore, collecting scalps and breaking records with surgical precision. But at UFC 298, ‘El Matador’ played the role of history’s greatest spoiler, his fists authoring a shocking plot twist that sent ‘Volk’ crashing to the canvas and his GOAT aspirations into a tailspin.

Now, as Topuria trades the featherweight waters for lightweight shores, Volkanovski’s dreams of redemption are evaporating like morning dew. This scenario may be even more tricky owing to the UFC’s new policy for champions moving between weight classes. For the uninitiated, Volk’s UFC 314 dance partner Diego Lopes has revealed that the promotion, tired of its kingpins wanting to become double champs, has instituted a rule for those wanting to change divisions.

“They [the UFC] were very clear with us. They didn’t say they were against fighters moving up in weight. No, but if you want to go up a division, you have to vacate your title. That’s the policy for all champions considering a move,” Lopes told Papa Legasi in a recent interview. Volk’s story that was meant to end in glory has instead become a haunting “what if?” – a tale left unfinished, with its protagonist holding a brush that may never touch the canvas again.

Or will it? Well, Volkanovski definitely thinks so. The Aussie is determined to rematch the Georgian-Spaniard. Even if it means following his fiercest rival up to lightweight. “I didn’t know exactly who it was going to be till not that long ago. So these decisions have just come not that long ago with it being Lopes and Ilia moving up. So fair play Ilia. Yeah, I’ll go do my thing, maybe we could just make a bigger fight after this, so we’ll see what happens, see whatever’s in store for him let him do his thing. But I’ll go win this title and maybe we can make an even bigger rematch,” ‘Volk’ said on his YouTube channel.

The former 145lbs champ, of course, is set to face Lopes for the vacant gold at UFC 314. And if he does emerge as the new featherweight champion in Miami, he wants the Topuria rematch. But how would that work exactly? Will Volkanovski move up to lightweight or will Topuria be moving down? Well, if it’s the former, then ‘Volk’ may have to vacate his featherweight title (if he wins it).

However, Volkanovski is a featherweight through and through. If he does move up to 155lbs for a Topuria fight, he is unlikely to stay there. Could the UFC allow him to move up and keep his belt? Maybe! The UFC can, if they wanted, relax their newly instituted policy on changing weight classes for Volkanovski.

A Topuria-Volkanovski rematch, especially if the Aussie regains the strap, would be huge. And since the UFC is a business first and foremost, they may carve out an exception for one of its greatest champions ever. But first, he needs to get through Lopes, and the Aussie is leaving no stone unturned to do that.

Alexander Volkanovski determined to turn around the ‘too old’ narrative

Alexander Volkanovski is convinced he will beat Lopes in their UFC 314 clash in April. In fact, the former champ is in Thailand right now, probably polishing up his striking with some of the Muay Thai guys there. This gives an idea that is how much this fight means to him. And since fighting is as much mental as physical, ‘Volk’ being in an excellent state of mind augurs well for him.

“I’m feeling great, and I’m only going to get better from here, so that’s a scary thing, especially for Lopes. I think Lopes is in for a very, very hard fight. He’s a gamer. He’s a great dude. I’ve got a lot of respect for him, very nice fella,” Volkanovski promised fans on his YouTube channel.

The Aussie, of course, is 1-3 in his last four fights. One of the biggest talking points of his first clash with Topuria was that ‘Volk’ was too old and on a downward trajectory. Since the former champ turns 37 this year, the result of the Lopes fight will determine whether or not he is indeed able to fight at the championship level or past his prime for many. And the former 220lbs pro-Rugby player is desperate to end that narrative against Lopes.

“I’m really looking forward to this one. Very excited, excited to show everyone. Obviously, people are like, ‘Oh, he’s old, he’s done.’ I hope people are thinking that. Everyone knows I love the underdog story. Everyone knows I love to prove people wrong,” ‘Volk’ added. What do you think about Alexander Volkanovski floating a rematch with Ilia Topuria after the Lopes fight?