Alexander Volkanovski rules out facing Sterling after the former champion's defeat and indicates his next rival

Alexander Volkanovsky celebrates victory in UFC 290. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Recovering from an elbow injury, Alexander Volkanovsky crossed a name off the list of his potential next opponents: aljamain sterling. In a video published on his official YouTube channel, the featherweight champion (up to 65,7kg) ruled out facing the former bantamweight champion (up to 61,2kg), who lost the belt last Saturday (19), knocked out by Sean O' Malley.

“I feel bad for Aljo (Sterling), man. I mean, what does he want to do? He will definitely want the rematch. It would be a big, big fight, but it's not going to happen. If he had achieved a big victory he could have taken the place of Ilia (Topuria), but he couldn't”, declared Volkanovski.

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Coming from a resounding victory over Yair Rodriguez in a duel for the unification of the linear and interim featherweight belts in July, Alexander Volkanovsky revealed that he would like to take action again in 2023 and indicated Ilia Topuria as the most likely opponent.

“What’s next for me? If Aljo had won and challenged me, he could have gotten ahead of Ilia. Ilia is very quiet. I thought he would be talking more, making it clear that he wants the fight. I want to fight as soon as possible. I can now train a little. I'm not punching yet, but I will be soon. I'm staying in shape, doing what I need to do. I want to go back before the end of the year. I want a rematch with Islam makhachev, but he will fight in October. If I were to wait, it would be Islam, but I don't want to wait that long. So, Ilia, start talking. I like that. It makes me want to punch you in the face even more,” he concluded.

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