Alexander Volkanovski Wants Charles Oliveira in Australia Early 2023
UFC Featherweight Champion Alex Volkanovski revealed on the MMA Hour that the UFC plans to return to Australia for the first time since 2019.
Volkanovski's last fight was his 4th title defense in a trilogy with Max Holloway. He won the fight by unanimous decision in a performance that has fans and media calling him the number 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The fight was a masterclass in which he bloodied the former champion over 5 rounds, earning a shutout on all 3 judge's scorecards.
The fight was not without consequence for volkanovski, though, as he suffered a broken hand from the 2nd round on. Remarkably, he showed no signs of damage during the fight and still won impressively. The result however is that he will have to sit on the sidelines until next year due to the injury.
"They're looking at coming to Australia in the early quarter, the first quarter of the year (2023)." - Volkanovski told on the MMA Hour.
This is promising news for many Oceanic fighters as covid-19 restrictions have prevented multiple from leaving the country. Volkanovski went on to say:
"I need to fight there, I think I deserve that." His mind is set on it, and he has been vouching for it for years. Another idea he is set on is moving up and fighting the 155 lbs champion in his next fight, and with Oliveira vs. Makhachev booked for October at UFC 280, an early quarter 2023 date could potentially line up the schedule nicely for that.
He went on to state that if he had a chice between the two, he would face Charles Oliveira as that's a bigger fight for him and would likely draw more PPV's.
It seems that the champion will chase a title in the Lightweight division, and if all is according to plan, it will be on his home soil of Australia.
