Alexander Volkanovski has by no means been one to draw back from stress. At 37, the UFC featherweight champion is heading into his title protection in opposition to Diego Lopes at UFC 325 on Saturday, January 31, at Sydney’s Qudos Financial institution Enviornment, absolutely conscious that critics are pointing to his age as a possible weak point. However reasonably than downplay the narrative, Volkanovski is leaning into it with the arrogance of a fighter who is aware of precisely what he’s able to.
“I am old.”
“I’m happy to talk about it. A lot of people are like, ‘Why does he keep bringing up 37 years old?’ I love it. Again, I want that pressure. I want people thinking I’m old. I am old, but I’m still better than these guys, and I’ll show you,” Volkanovski said in an interview with ESPN Australia.
The rematch between Volkanovski (27-4) and Lopes (27-7) is a sequel to their first encounter at UFC 314 in April 2025, the place Volkanovski reclaimed the featherweight title with a unanimous choice victory (48-47, 49-46, 49-46). That win made him the oldest fighter in UFC historical past to seize the 145-pound championship at 36 years and 195 days, breaking by way of after consecutive knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria had many questioning if his time on the high was over.
Alexander Volkanovski Talks Family
For Volkanovski, the weight of maintaining elite performance whereas balancing life outdoors the cage is one thing he wears as a badge of honor, not a burden. The Australian champion is a father to 4 daughters, Ariana, Airlie, Reign, and new child Riah, who was born in September 2025. His dedication to his household runs deep, and he’s vocal about how he manages the competing calls for of coaching camp and fatherhood.
“Everybody within the fitness center goes to know I’m constructed completely different simply by watching me practice. However to have the ability to do what I do within the fitness center and nonetheless be the man I’m round the home as a father, with the media and all the opposite stuff – the content material, every part – it may be fairly busy. There’s lots of operating round,” Volkanovski defined.
Married to his high school sweetheart, Emma, since 2012, Volkanovski has always been clear that family is the driving force behind everything he does inside the octagon. He’s repeatedly acknowledged that his motivation isn’t simply legacy or fame, it’s offering for the folks he loves and being current for his daughters regardless of the brutal calls for of coaching camps and combat preparation.
Volkanovski’s strategy to coaching at this stage of his profession is calculated and exact. Understanding of Freestyle Combating Fitness center in Wollongong with coach Joe Lopez, the champion emphasizes sensible preparation that balances depth with restoration. His fight-camp diet is managed by efficiency dietician Jordan Sullivan, who rigorously buildings his weight loss program to make sure he could make weight whereas nonetheless acting at a excessive stage throughout grueling coaching periods. Meals from Athletes Vitamin are ready to precise specs, right down to the gram, whereas his typical day contains a number of coaching periods spanning power, cardio, MMA sparring, and restoration work.
Despite being nine months removed from their first fight, Volkanovski believes Lopes will come with the same aggressive approach that fell short in Miami. The champion outlanded the Brazilian 158 to 63 in significant strikes during their initial meeting, though Lopes did manage to knock Volkanovski down in the second round. That knockdown served as a reminder that at 37, the margin for error is razor-thin.
UFC 325
UFC 325 marks Volkanovski’s first title fight in Sydney since he final fought in Australia at UFC 284 in Perth in February 2023, the place he got here up quick in his bid for light-weight gold in opposition to Makhachev. Combating in his house state, simply 90 minutes from his hometown of Wollongong, provides emotional weight to the event. The champion has waited eight years to defend a title in entrance of his household and pals in Sydney, having final competed there in 2017 in opposition to Shane Younger.
If Volkanovski successfully defends his title on Saturday, he will tie Jose Aldo’s record with eight victories in UFC featherweight title fights. He currently holds five successful title defenses from his first reign and is already the oldest featherweight champion in UFC history. Rather than contemplating retirement, Volkanovski has made it clear he wants to fight three times in 2026, aiming for a mid-year bout and another later in the year.
The veteran champion has also expressed interest in facing undefeated contenders like Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy, and has even entertained the idea of welcoming lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan right down to the featherweight division. For a fighter supposedly previous his prime, Volkanovski’s ambitions stay as sharp as ever.
At UFC 325, the spotlight will be on whether age is truly just a number or if the relentless nature of mixed martial arts will finally catch up with one of the division’s most accomplished champions. But if Volkanovski’s words are any indication, he’s prepared to show the world that old man skills still have plenty left to offer.
