Why Alexander Volkanovski should retire after becoming two-time featherweight champion

Where to now for Alexander the Great?

That's the burning question a day after Alexander Volkanovski defied history and reclaimed his UFC featherweight title belt.

While he was a favourite with the bookies, the general consensus among MMA experts was the Aussie faced a tall task regaining the title.

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And that was based purely on history, not the individual, although Volkanovski was going into the bout on a two-fight losing streak and had lost three of his last four.

Fight fans thought they had seen this movie before. Ageing champion tries to reclaim a title that might have sailed by.

Former champions have had very limited success trying to recapture titles, especially after the age of 35.

The Wollongong native turns 37 in September and said before the fight that once he beats Lopes, he'll defend his belt three times and then call it a day.

However, Volkanovski has got to ask himself - what else is there left to prove and is there a real need to get back into the octagon?

Volkanovski (27-4) had successfully defended his belt four times before moving up a weight class and losing to Israel Makhachev in 2023.

Then after reclaiming the featherweight title five months later over Yair Rodriguez, Volkanovski lost back-to-back matches.

He had hoped to get another shot at Ilia Topuria and avenge his loss from more than a year ago at UFC 298. But Topuria moved up to the lightweight division, leaving the featherweight class vacant.

In preparing for Lopes, Volkanovski said he fully committed himself by beginning training camp earlier than usual and focusing on the workout recovery process and dieting in addition to the physical demands.

He said he had never been this lean going into a bout. Additionally, he was in a much better place mentally to deal with the curve balls his career throws at him.

The Aussie had more than a year off after his KO loss to Topuria, and told ESPN the extended period away allowed him to focus on himself more. In the past, the Aussie champion struggled away from the octagon and in between fights, battling to carve out an identity away from the fight game.

But now he's found the balance outside the octagon and defied the odds and became champion again.

So why go back?

The two-time featherweight champ has beaten three of the other top five featherweights.

Outside of a rematch with Rodriguez and Russian grappler Movsar Evloev, who is the only contender he's yet to fight, there aren't many other options for Volkanovski.

Evloev most recently won his ninth fight in a row and defeated former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling by unanimous decision.

He congratulated Volkanovski and called out the Aussie moments after the fight, writing on X: "Now let's see what your word is worth!"

The remaining carrot for the Australian is that he's only one title fight win away from equalling Jose Aldo's (who he beat back in 2019) record of eight UFC featherweight title fight wins.

"Yair looked great," he told journalists in his post-fight press conference.

"I hear that he was saying (he wanted) a title shot. He's a good dude. I like him a lot. If the UFC want to give it to him, I ain't gonna stop that.

"I'll be honest, before that fight I didn't think he would get a shot. I'll be honest about that but now that he's calling, I'm not going to be the one to say no.

"I'll leave everything to the UFC. Obviously you've got guys like Movsar who's undefeated. I'd love to take that zero."

Looking from the outside in, Volkanovski's achievements in the sport are already legendary.

He doesn't need to come back and put his long-term health at risk to prove he's good enough - because he is.

For so long the Aussie battled to get recognition and the proper respect a champion deserved.

After the win over Lopes, Volkanovski said "they'll make movies from this comeback".

If he ends things now on his own terms, that movie will most likely have a happy ending.

If he doesn't, the last scene of that motion picture could very well end with him sprawled out on the canvas.

In coming back and defending the belt, Volkanovski throws away the perfect opportunity to have a fairy tale ending.

Yet his penchant for defying the odds could very well see him write his own unique conclusion, an opportunity combat athletes seldom get.