Once more, The Great defied his 37 years by floating around the octagon, knocking out his opponent, Diego Lopes, with ease and putting his stamp on a dominant title defense.
Of course, after a successful title defense, the question is always asked: what’s next for Alexander Volkanovski? Let’s try to answer that question.
What’s next for Alexander Volkanovski?
The logical choice – the winner of Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev
Just days after Alexander Volkanovski made his first successful defense of his second reign as featherweight king, the UFC announced the main event for UFC London in March. Two undefeated stars in Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy meet in the main event and realistically the winner would then face Volkanovski for the title.
They both deserve a shot at the title and ultimately both pose different threats to the champion. The Russian would likely try to wrestle Volkanovski and get a decision, while Murphy is much more complete and would strike with the champion, a difficult task in itself.
In either case, the Australian would be the favorite, as he usually is. In the Lopes fight he opened as favourite, with huge betting swings in Australia, New Zealand and real money sports gambling in Papua New Guinea and other island states who continuously support him.
There’s no doubt that Alexander Volkanovski will be keeping a close eye on the UFC London main event after his big win at UFC 325.
The illogical but possible choice – Jean Silva
During the UFC 325 post-fight press conference, the champion made one thing very clear. He will only face those who deserve it. He noted:
The responsibility of a champion is to defend the belt.
It doesn’t matter who it is against.
If the company puts someone in front of you, you fight.
Champions don’t choose opponents. Defending champions.— Jean “Heer” Silva (@Jeansilvamma96) February 1, 2026
Silva apparently has an issue with Volkanovski, which may stem from the fact that his The Fighting Nerds teammate, Mauricio Ruffy, will be training with Volkanovski ahead of his own fight at UFC 325.
Silva also posted a video discussing Volkanovski, saying:
“I know Volkanovski is asking for Evloev, I don’t know. He asks the guys not to get hurt. Bro, sorry to tell you if you want to stay well and without getting hurt, I understand you. But if you want to fight a guy who hits hard, I’m your guy and I’ll tell you more: I’m going to camp there with [Ilia] Topuria to break you. I’ll let you know. I’m warning you, I’m going there.’
The champion responded by shutting down all underlying heats between the two men.
There is no doubt that Jean Silva does not deserve a title shot. He was knocked out just one fight earlier by Diego Lopes and, despite much hype surrounding his career, is just 4-1 at featherweight.
The ambitious choice – Arman Tsarukyan
This one is a bit strange, but after hinting at it himself, Arman Tsarukyan could be in the featherweight title picture if given the chance.
The world’s No. 2 lightweight is out of favor with the UFC, but a weight cut for an interesting clash with the champion could be on the cards. Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Tsarukyan said she would consider a move up to 145 pounds to challenge for the belt.
Alexander Volkanovski commented before his UFC 325 win, saying:
“He would obviously be a tough challenge if he could get there, that would certainly be a tough challenge.”
It’s unlikely the UFC will give Tsarukyan the opportunity to move up to featherweight, especially after rumors that he’s struggling at lightweight (which could potentially lead to the cancellation of his UFC 311 fight).
Who do you want Alexander Volkanovski to face next? Let us know in the comments below!
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