"If it's offered to me, of course, I'm gonna fight for the lightweight title. But as everyone knows, I'm pretty real with everything. Right now, it's like, do I deserve a shot at the lightweight title? I know I don't. I'm not planning to fight for another two to three years. For me to deserve another shot like that I'm gonna need another two to three wins."
"And then maybe I'm back in a position where I deserve a shot at that lightweight title. I don't believe I deserve that [shot] right now. It's not something that I've even thought of... That's not something that I feel could be in the near future."
Alexander Volkanovski is scheduled to defend his featherweight title against Diego Lopes at UFC 325 on Jan. 31 in Sydney. A week earlier, Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje will fight for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 in Las Vegas. Volkanovski has no plans to move up to lightweight and would only accept a lightweight title shot if offered, but he believes he does not deserve one now. Volkanovski expects he would need two to three additional wins to make a legitimate case and does not see a lightweight title shot in the near future. Volkanovski lost two lightweight title fights to Islam Makhachev in 2023, a decision and a knockout.
Read at Sherdog
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