“We all know that I want the lightweight championship belt,” Volkanovski told a press conference after UFC 290. “We all know that I want a rematch, that I want to fight Islam. I need this win and I think it’s a huge fight for the UFC. Our first fight lived up to all the hype, it was amazing and we should see rounds five through ten.”
“Oliveira refused to fight in October, and this increases my chances of fighting Makhachev, so I don’t rule it out. It’s even funny. People are talking about needing more rest time and I’m telling you I’m going to have surgery on my hand and probably go to that fight in October.”
“I would be lying if I said that this time I will just move Islam. It will be another fierce battle, but I guarantee that my hand will now be raised. The two best fighters in the world have gone five rounds and there’s a good chance you’ll see five more rounds with them. Do I believe I won the first fight? Yes, but they raised his hand, which means I still have to work. I’m still developing and soon featherweights and lightweights won’t stand a chance.”
The fight between Alex Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez, who headlined the event held in Las Vegas, ended with a technical knockout defeat at the end of the third round, and Islam Makhachev is set to defend his lightweight title on October 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
In February of this year, Volkanovski made an unsuccessful attempt to take the championship belt from Makhachev, losing to the Russian by unanimous decision at UFC 284 in Perth after five rounds.