UFC champ Volkanovski proposes ‘send off’ superbout vs. Gaethje

• Brett OkamotoOct 15, 2026, 11:50 AM ET

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  Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.

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UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has proposed a “send-off” superfight between himself and defending lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

Volkanovski (28-4) is scheduled to defend his 145-pound title against Movsar Evloev (20-0) at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Arguably the greatest featherweight of all time, Volkanovski has acknowledged he is approaching the end of his career at 38 years old. Gaethje, 37, has acknowledged the same since he claimed the UFC’s 155-pound title for the first time in June.

With both champions seemingly near the end of their time in the Octagon, Volkanovski has suggested a winner-take-all scenario in 2027.

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“Imagine that, do it as a send-off,” Volkanovski told the “Who Da Fook Are These Guys?” podcast. “Gaethje, Volk. I think he’s said that he maybe has one more. That could be a superfight. Let’s do a superfight with the lightweight title on the line. We can both see everyone off with a crazy superfight. That could be really good.”

Volkanovski, of Australia, has already tried to capture the lightweight title. He famously challenged then-lightweight champion Islam Makhachev twice in a 10-month span in 2023. He suffered a razor-close decision loss to Makhachev in their first meeting in February, then lost by first-round knockout in a rematch in October that was scheduled on short notice.

Justin Gaethje, right, landed big right hands all night against Ilia Topuria en route to capturing the UFC lightweight championship in a massive upset at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Gaethje (28-5) has not even guaranteed whether he will fight again or retire off his historic win at the White House in June, but he has stated he believes his next challenger would be lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan. Volkanovski appears to be throwing his name into the mix in the hope of changing those plans.

“He’s said, ‘What’s the point of doing rematches,'” Volkanovski said. “Let’s do a superfight, then [retire] straight away after, let the divisions sort themselves out. The UFC would be happy for that. Let’s make it happen.”

Source: www.espn.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.