Aussie UFC superstar Alexander Volkanovski eyes retirement payday after defending his featherweight crown with stunning TKO

Alexander Volkanovski would relish a potential retirement superfight against fellow UFC superstar and lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, after retaining his featherweight crown with a stunning second-round TKO of previously unbeaten Russian Movsar Evloev.

Headlining the UFC 333 card in Abu Dhabi, Volkanovski was considered the underdog in some quarters, but the 38-year-old Australian proved too good for his younger opponent, the No.1 contender on Sunday AEST.

He got Evloev down to the ground with some precise, hurtful punching and landed some brutal ground and pound to force referee Marc Goddard to stop the fight with six seconds of the second round remaining.

Volkanovski insisted in the fight buildup that he was a bad stylistic match for Evloev and could finish him early.

And the champion kept a midweek wedding anniversary promise to his wife to have a quick win as he earned his first stoppage finish in six bouts since 2023.

He was reportedly hit by sickness in the leadup to the fight but brushed it off saying he was ‘good enough to get out there and get it done.’

It was a record-extending ninth UFC featherweight title fight win over two reigns for the fighter from Windang on the NSW South coast.

American Gaethje, who turns 38 next month, won the lightweight title last June on the UFC White House card with a TKO of defending champion Ilia Topuria, the man who ended Volkanovski’s first stint as featherweight champion.

‘Whether it’s both our retirement fight and put it on the line, which would be cool, a little bit of a super fight and 38-year-olds, just going at it and then we’ll leave it all and let all the young fellows sort themselves out,’ Volkanovski said.

‘Thats something I would retire for, if they wanted to give me that opportunity I would retire, win or lose.’

Asked about a potential Volkanovski-Gaethje matchup, UFC boss Dana White said ‘when you’ve accomplished what he (Volkanovski) has accomplished there’s not much we’re going to say no to with him.

‘The guy is an absolute stud, coming in and beating an undefeated younger (fighter) …Volkanovski is incredible.’

Volkanovski (29-4) landed some good kicks and punches in the first couple of minutes.

Elite wrestler Evloev (20-1) took Volkanovski down three times in the last couple of minutes of the first round, but the Australian quickly bounced back to his feet each time.

The champion had a cut on his face in the second round, but in the last few seconds bloodied Evloev’s face, as his crisp, accurate punches found their mark.

Evloev, 32, landed some good strikes, but couldn’t maintain the pressure on the wily champion, who made a second successful defence of his second reign.

‘He’s like good wine, older, stronger, better, he’s truly a legend,’ Evloev said.

In a thrilling co-main event, Russia’s Petr Yan retained the bantamweight world title with a unanimous points decision over Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili, beating him for the second time in three fights.

Yan, who has trained alongside Volkanovski in Thailand, suggested he could move up to featherweight to challenge the Australian, while Aljamain Sterling and Jean Silva could also be in contention for a title shot if the bout with Gaethje doesn’t eventuate.

In the prelims, Australians recorded a win and two losses against Russian opponents.

Volkanovski’s stablemate, bantamweight Colby Thicknesse, scored a third straight win and a big upset with a split decision victory over previously unbeaten Asaf Chopurov.

Middleweight Cam Rowston’s run of seven straight wins ended with a first-round guillotine choke submission loss to 12th-ranked Abus Magomedov of Russia and middleweight Jacob Malkoun’s three-fight win streak was snapped by a unanimous points loss to Abubakar Vagaev.