Alexander Volkanovski Reveals When He Expects to Fight Movsar Evloev

Alexander Volkanovski admits that the process of finalizing his next UFC featherweight title defense is taking a bit longer than anticipated, but he understands the reasons and expects news soon.

With UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday drawing almost all of the organization's attention, fighters like Volkanovski (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) must be patient as they await their next career move.

Volkanovski recognizes this and will be attending the White House gala to support his teammate, Mauricio Rufi, who faces Michael Chandler in a pivotal lightweight bout. The champion expects things to progress once UFC Freedom 250 concludes.

"Maybe once they're done with that, they can direct energy elsewhere. I was hoping for a date between August and September. September is often mentioned by everyone. There are dates that seem suitable. We'll see what works best," he added.

If Volkanovski gets a fight in September, which will most likely be at UFC 331, he'll be content. Still, he's preparing for the possibility of waiting until after his 38th birthday on September 29, not actually ruling out the idea of securing another title defense as he ages.

"Before my birthday would've been great, but wouldn't it be pretty cool to fight at 38 too?" Volkanovski said. "To defend the belt at 38. So maybe we'll wait until then, just for it to sound better."

As for who will stand across from him in the octagon as he seeks a second defense during his second reign as the 145-pound king, Volkanovski doesn't think there will be much mystery this time.

After expressing a desire earlier this year to fight undefeated contenders Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy, the UFC instead opted to pit him against Diego Lopes in a rematch at UFC 325, while Evloev and Murphy faced each other.

Evloev (20-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC) won that bout by majority decision against Murphy (17-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) in March, further improving his perfect record, and Volkanovski believes the Russian has done more than enough to challenge for his belt.

"You always have to be ready for surprises," Volkanovski said. "It's a crazy sport. That's why everyone loves it. But at the same time, it's obvious that Movsar is the most deserving number one contender. He's been the number one contender for a while, and everyone knows me as a champion. I want to fight the number one guy."

"I want to fight the one who deserves it, and that's Movsar. That's what I'm pushing for, and I'm almost certain that's what the UFC wants too, so I think that's exactly what will happen," he concluded.