Alexander Volkanovski Willing to Vacate Featherweight Title to Fight Arman Tsarukyan for Lightweight Gold if Justin Gaethje Retires

It looks like Alexander Volkanovski wants that second UFC belt no matter what. The Aussie recently floated the idea of a retirement fight against Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title. However, with Gaethje’s UFC future still up in the air, Volk has also expressed interest in running it back with Ilia Topuria at 155lbs.Now, with Arman Tsarukyan back in the lightweight title picture, Volkanovski has another name in mind. The featherweight champion is willing to fight the Armenian if Gaethje decides to retire and vacate the lightweight belt. The idea has become more realistic after Volk’s UFC 333 title defense against Movsar Evloev and Dana White’s positive response to his lightweight ambitions.Alexander Volkanovski Growing More Excited About Potential Arman Tsarukyan Title FightSpeaking to Ariel Helwani recently, Volk acknowledged Tsarukyan’s position in the title race and made it clear he would have no problem sharing the Octagon with the Armenian.“I do believe Arman should be fighting for the title. If I was in the lightweight division and I was champion at lightweight, I’m fighting Arman 100%.”He added, “And if Gaethje don’t want to do that, I’ll do it. Again you got Ilia and Paddy in a great position, but I think that’s [Ilia vs. Paddy] a great fight. That excites me; it’s because Arman’s a great fighter. Everyone knows how I do against wrestlers. Everyone knows I can handle wrestlers. I think he’s one of the best wrestlers and grapplers in the UFC, but you ain’t holding me down. Even Arman.”Volk also explained why a matchup with Tsarukyan appeals to him. While he respects the Armenian’s wrestling and grappling, the Aussie believes he can handle the challenge and make it an exciting fight. Volk: “If I was champion at lightweight, I’m fighting Arman. 100%.If Gaethje doesn’t wanna do that, I’ll do it. Me versus Arman for the belt. That excites me.Everyone knows how I do against wrestlers. Everyone knows I can handle wrestlers. I think he’s one of the best wrestlers and grapplers in the UFC, but you ain’t holding me down.I’ve got so much respect for him, but I’m getting back up, and we’re standing and fighting. He’s got good stand-up too, so that’ll be a fun fight.I think we’re starting to figure some shit out.”— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 28, 2026ALSO READ:Alexander Volkanovski Keeps Defying Age at 38: What Other UFC Greats Were Doing at the Time?“I have got so much respect for him, but I’m getting back up, and we are standing and fighting, but he’s good stand-up. So, that will be a fun fight. I’ll be very excited for that.”Interestingly, Volkanovski also suggested he would be willing to give up his featherweight title rather than stand in the way of another deserving contender. And in his eyes, Tsarukyan has the strongest case for a shot at lightweight gold.Helwani also pointed out that Tsarukyan believes Gaethje is more likely to retire than continue fighting. With the UFC’s lightweight title picture still up in the air, Volk sees an opportunity to chase his second championship without taking a title opportunity away from someone who has earned it.The Aussie even revealed that he is now more excited about fighting Tsarukyan than Gaethje and would gladly vacate his 145lbs title to compete for the vacant lightweight belt.“I would vacate the featherweight belt and fight Arman for the belt. There it is. I’m starting to get more excited about that than the Gaethje fight.” Volk is increasingly interested in fighting Arman for the lightweight title and would be willing to vacate his featherweight belt to make it happen:“Arman keeps saying that he thinks Justin is gonna retire. So if Justin really does retire, I think it’s all been settled.I’ll vacate the featherweight belt and fight Arman for the title. There it is. I’m starting to get more excited for that than the Gaethje fight.”— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 28, 2026Interestingly, Tsarukyan had already welcomed the possibility of fighting Volkanovski if Gaethje retired during an interview with Helen Yee. That conversation took place before UFC 333, when the Armenian also called Volk old and chinny.Now, with Volkanovski openly offering to fight him for lightweight gold, the matchup could become a real possibility if things fall into place at 155lbs. Whether the UFC goes in that direction remains to be seen, but Volk has made his intentions pretty clear: he wants another belt, and Tsarukyan is firmly on his radar.