Alexander Volkanovski explains why he did not take part in the UFC lightweight fight: “I need the right fights”

Alexander Volkanovski explains why he stays at featherweight

In an interview with Sky Sport NZ, Alexander Volkanovski admitted that he expected the UFC 308 featherweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway to start earlier, as he might be ready to compete again by the end of October.

“I knew that beforehand, of course,” Volkanovski said. “I told them I wanted to take a break like I had. So I probably wanted to fight later in the year and they said they might do that, but I thought it would be a little earlier, but it ended up being a date where I thought, ‘Oh, I might have been able to come back here.'”

Volkanovski is known for staying active in the Octagon, but he knows that the fights have to make sense at this stage of his career.

“Look, I like to be active, but at the same time I need the real fights,” Volkanovski said.

“The Great” also said that while a big fight in the 155-pound class is tempting, he knows that the UFC doesn’t particularly appreciate its athletes wanting to switch between divisions.

“I could have maybe done a lightweight fight,” Volkanovski admitted. “I think there are a lot of exciting fights there, but the UFC is not a big fan of floating. They say, ‘Look, if you want to go to lightweight, you probably have to stay there.’ That’s the only thing, and then I might lose the featherweight title fight.”

There is no doubt that Volkanovski will be closely watching the featherweight title showdown between Topuria and Holloway on October 26 at UFC 308.

If you use quotes in his article, please leave a H/T to BJPenn.com for the transcript of the Sky Sport NZ interview.