Alex Volkanovski has been urged to retire rather than chase another title following his next bout.
The featherweight kingpin is set to defend his belt against Diego Lopes on home soil when he headlines UFC 325 in Sydney next month.
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It will mark the second meeting between Volkanovski and the Brazilian powerhouse, after the New South Welshman claimed a unanimous decision victory in their first encounter at UFC 314 in Miami last April.
Despite rumours he may step away on a high, the 37-year-old has dismissed suggestions he will retire after the fight and has even hinted at a potential return to lightweight in pursuit of a second UFC title.
Heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall thinks this is a bad idea and hopes Volk will bow out in Sydney with a win.
“I hope he does retire, and I’m the biggest Volk fan out there,” Aspinall told Paddy Pimblett on his YouTube channel.
“I want him to retire if he wins this one, leave it… We don’t want two mates fighting each other [Volkanovski and Pimblett].”
Pimblett, who throws down with Justin Gaethje for the lightweight interim strap at UFC 324 later this month, believes Volkanovski might look to face him next.
“I’ve heard people saying that Volk might retire after this fight, because it’s in Australia,” said Pimblett.
“But you don’t know, do you? People say that all the time, and then they fight again…
“I think if I win, though, and he wins, and I get upgraded to undisputed champion, as you did, I wouldn’t be surprised if he thinks that’s the perfect opportunity to win the lightweight belt.
“I don’t want to fight Volk — I proper like him — but he’ll probably look at it and think that’s my best chance to become lightweight champ beating Paddy.”
“The Great”, of course, has already had a crack at becoming a two-division champ at lightweight.
He pushed then-lightweight king Islam Makhachev to the limit in a razor-thin decision loss at UFC 284 in Perth before suffering a first-round defeat in their rematch.
Despite the setbacks, Volkanovski has maintained that he has unfinished business in the division.
Meanwhile, top featherweight contender Lerone Murphy admits he is still stunned he was overlooked for a title shot in favour of Lopes.
Riding a 10-fight unbeaten streak, Murphy believes Volkanovski will hang up the gloves after his next fight.
“Now I don’t get the chance to fight Volkanovski,” Murphy told Demetrious Johnson on his podcast.
“I know he’s going to retire after this fight.
“That’s a legend. Being able to test my skills against a legend, having his name on my resume is massive.
“It’s something that I’m never going to be able to get now because of that. Not because I didn’t earn it, because of obviously favoritism and whatever.”
Murphy was confident that accepting a short-notice bout against Aaron Pico at UFC 319 would earn him a title shot, and he made a statement by scoring a brutal KO.
Instead, it is Lopes who has been handed a rematch, leaving Murphy watching from the sidelines.
“That’s what I thought that trade was,” Murphy said.
“For me, obviously, we’re prizefighters, we need money, we need to fight but I want that crack at the title. That’s legacy right there. That sets me up as well.”
Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia last month that he has no plans of retiring after his next fight and that he’d be open to rematches with Makhachev and Ilia Topuria after he’s taken care of business in the featherweight division.
“It’d be great to fight Islam again and Ilia Topruria,” he said.
“I’m just real with knowing that that can’t happen right now. You know, I mean, like me calling for that just doesn’t make sense.
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“You need to earn the position, to go for double champ and stuff like that, right? I still know that I’ve got work to do in my division.
“So right now, I don’t want to look too far ahead, because I know if I’m looking at a rematch, we’re talking two, three fights away. So like, why are we even bother thinking about that right now?”
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