Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski didn’t let down his home crowd ahead of UFC 325, putting on a show for fans in Sydney. The champ is headlining the card at Qudos Bank Arena, taking on Diego Lopes in a rematch that’s stirred up plenty of controversy.
Lopes was given another shot at Volkanovski after stepping in as a late replacement for Ilia Topuria last time out. That decision has split opinions among fans, many feeling it came too soon.
Still, Lopes seems to be ignoring the outside noise. His attention is firmly on the task ahead, though there’s one thing that did catch his ear—a chant from an unexpected source.
Alexander Volkanovski entertains crowd with singing at UFC 325 press conference
Lopes joined in too, getting another taste of the featherweight champ’s singing voice during Thursday’s press conference.
Volkanovski has long been one of the lighter personalities in mixed martial arts, from his social media skits to his choice of attire at public events. This time, he arrived on stage in Sydney wearing an apron – a nod to his popular YouTube series, ‘Cooking with Volk’.
Later on, Lopes asked for an encore performance of the song Volkanovski had sung during last year’s UFC 314 presser. ‘Alexander the Great’ didn’t hesitate, and the crowd responded just as positively as before.
Volkanovski addresses retirement talk ahead of UFC 325
Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t seem interested in addressing the ongoing retirement chatter. This week, he told Ariel Helwani that he has no plans to step away from the sport any time soon.
And, despite speculation about his future, it’s a stance that hasn’t changed in the lead-up to Saturday night’s title defence in Sydney.
The featherweight champion has made it clear that he’s not planning on hanging up the gloves just yet, and instead hopes for a quick return to action after UFC 325.
“I don’t know where (the retirement rumours) came from exactly,” Volkanovski told Helwani.
“If I were to get beaten up, would I come back to fight? No. But that’s not in my plans. Unless things go horrendously wrong, I’m planning on going back out there. Whether it’s the next one taking on an undefeated fighter in the UFC or something like that, that’s appealing. Maybe that’s one I could finish up on.”
- READ MORE: Alexander Volkanovski responds to Arman Tsarukyan’s interest in featherweight title fight
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