Volkanovski open to third double-champ bid against new lightweight king Gaethje

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has expressed openness to challenging Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title, which would mark his third attempt at becoming a simultaneous two-division champion. Speaking on YouTube, Volkanovski stopped short of demanding the shot, saying the decision would ultimately rest with the UFC.

Gaethje (28-5) claimed the undisputed lightweight title in a major upset earlier this month, dethroning Ilia Topuria at UFC White House in his third attempt at the belt. Volkanovski (28-4), who is 38, acknowledged the appeal of two fighters the same age meeting at 155 pounds.

“Of course, I’ll do it,” Volkanovski said. “I’m going to call it when I feel like I deserve it, and you’ve seen when I was defending my belt five times before I asked for the double champ, and then had the fight with Islam. Like that’s just how it is… So, I’m not going to call for it. That’s the type of champion I am. I think you need to earn it. But if the UFC was to offer it, of course, see two 38-year-old fellas go at it in the lightweight division? 100%. Of course I would.”

Volkanovski also acknowledged that Arman Tsarukyan is the logical next contender at lightweight — but left the door open for circumstances to change. “Arman should be next. But when you’re not doing what the UFC wants and you’re not being a company man, you can be punished for it. So we’ll see what happens.”

Tsarukyan has been absent from the lightweight title picture since pulling out of a scheduled challenge against Islam Makhachev last year. At UFC White House, he was listed as the backup fighter for the Topuria-Gaethje main event but, finding both men healthy, chose instead to compete in a wrestling match against Tony Ferguson rather than weigh in for the backup role.

Volkanovski’s history at lightweight is well documented. He gave Makhachev one of the sternest tests of his career in their first meeting in 2023, before suffering a violent knockout in the rematch. He subsequently lost the featherweight title to Topuria, then reclaimed the vacant belt against Diego Lopes and defended it in a rematch with Lopes — leaving him well-established at 145 pounds before any move upward could be considered.