Should former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski decide he wants to have one fight before running it back with Ilia Topuria, he has a willing opponent waiting in the wings.
Alexander Volkanovski is coming off back-to-back knockout losses, the first of which marked his second setback at the hands of lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev last October at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
Four months later, the Australian returned in pursuit of once again defending the featherweight throne, which he had occupied since 2019. But challenger Topuria made good on his pre-fight confidence by brutally sleeping Volkanovski at UFC 298 in Anaheim.
In the aftermath, “Alexander the Great” immediately staked his claim for a rematch, even suggesting he’d happily head to the new champ’s home country of Spain for it.
But, should either Volkanovski or the UFC push for him to have another fight first, one top 15 contender is ready and willing to grant him a “tune-up fight” at the August pay-per-view in Perth, Australia.
Dan Ige Raises Hand For Alexander Volkanovski Clash Down Under
In a recent social media post, Dan Ige tagged Alexander Volkanovski and staked his claim to be the opponent if he chooses to pursue a return fight on home soil this summer.
Ige, who currently occupies the #12 spot at 145 pounds, previously fell short of a shot at Volkanovski after consecutive defeats to “The Korean Zombie,” Josh Emmett, and Movsar Evloev left him out of the title picture.
But with the Aussie now off the throne, and with Ige winning three of his last four to remain just outside the top 10, perhaps the matchup is no longer as far-fetched as it once was.
“Hey @alexvolkanovski if you need a tune-up fight for Perth, I’d be happy to take the challenge,” Ige wrote.
While this past February saw Alexander Volkanovski stopped in brutal fashion, Ige was the one delivering such a knockout blow in his fight that month.
Following on from a disappointing decision defeat to Bryce Mitchell last September, “50K” bounced back in a big way at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Pyfer, brutally stopping replacement opponent Andre Fili.