A title fight on home soil would be the 'perfect setting' for Alexander Volkanovski to bow out. This is why he will defy the advice

Alexander Volkanovski truly has "nothing left to prove" inside the UFC octagon.

He's already a two-time featherweight champion and was agonisingly close to joining a rare group of two-division champions when he lost via controversial decision to Islam Makhachev for the lightweight gold at Perth's RAC Arena in 2023.

He then managed to come back from some devastating defeats, first in the rematch against Makhachev and then against Ilia Topuria, to eventually regain his crown.

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At 37 years of age and with a title fight on his home soil at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, few could blame Volkanovski from riding off into the sunset this weekend.

One of those who would have backed the decision from Volkanovski to call it quits is Robert Whittaker - the first Aussie to hold gold in the UFC - despite backing his close mate to defeat Diego Lopes in a rematch from their highly-entertaining 2025 bout.

"It's hard to say," Whittaker told Wide World of Sports.

"He's got nothing left to prove and he's got no stone left unturned.

"It would be the perfect setting to say farewell and drift off into that next phase of life."

Whittaker isn't alone in that viewpoint and many figured that fighting in Sydney would be the perfect ending to a remarkable career in mixed martial arts.

But if you ask the man himself, those rumours or pieces of advice won't become reality.

"I was able to get through camp, we're making the right adjustments - I am 37 years old," Volkanovski said at the UFC 325 press conference on Wednesday.

"The intensity is still there, we've pulled back the volume a little bit. If you make the adjustments, you can have a longer career. I plan on taking minimal damage out there and then having a quick turnaround and see what happens after that.

"You've seen a lot of rumours or people saying 'it's gonna be his last one' and obviously I put that to bed. It's definitely not the right time for this, I've still got a bit left in me.

"I want to be active because if I'm active, maybe I can fit another six [fights] in."

While it's a stretch to think Volkanovski could fight six more times, which would push him closer to his 40th birthday, the confidence from the Aussie is as clear as ever.

It's that type of confidence and self-belief is what has carried Volkanovski from a stocky, bush footy rugby league forward to one of the UFC's all-time greats, where he worked his way up the ranks and tore through the featherweight division, defeating Jose Aldo in mid-2019 to cement him as a genuine title contender.

From there, the epic three-fight trilogy against Max Holloway over the championship put him on a level few in that weight-class had ever reached.

But his ultimate fall from grace - albeit a brief one - was due to that same confidence.

Volkanovski sailed too close to the sun, stepping up on 10 days notice to take on the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Makhachev, earning plenty of praise for his toughness and braveness, but was knocked out in the first round.

He tried to get back on the horse and take on Topuria and it was the same result.

But like a true Aussie battler, he dug himself back from a career crossroads to become a champion again. Now he gets to reap the rewards in front of family and friends.

"I wanna have a big moment here," he said.

"I wanna go out there and look dominant and give all my supporters, family and friends that feeling and that moment they are gonna remember forever.

"They do get that feeling watching at home, but there ain't nothing like it [being there live] when Down Under hits and what that's gonna be like walking out.

"I'm at the point of my career where the more energy the better. Early in my career, I used to try and stay a little more composed … now sometimes when I try and chill, I'm too chill. The energy is gonna boost me up and I think it's gonna be an advantage.

"I want them to feel that energy and having an opponent like that, we're gonna put on a good show and there will be a good atmosphere through the whole fight.

"Then I want to get my hand raised and give everyone that moment."

When it comes to the fight itself, Volkanovski is the favourite with bookmakers, despite many questioning if he will be able to outlast Lopes a second time.

The explosive Brazilian has fought once since their initial clash and recorded a stunning TKO victory over Jean Silva - but even then, Whittaker isn't sold on him upsetting the Aussie with the eyes of his home country fans trained on him.

"Volk more or less laid out the blueprint for beating Lopes in their first match," he said.

"There were a lot of things he could have done differently in that first fight with Volk, but he didn't have those skillsets. It's hard to say what has evolved since then.

"I didn't see a lot of change [against Silva] to dictate that he will come out with a new game plan. I honestly don't know if he has the skillset to take Volk to where he needs to.

"Honestly, his best shot is a puncher's chance … he's going to try and land a bomb and Volk will have to be elusive, just like he was the first time.

"I've got Volk winning all day and I think he should do it pretty handily again."

The rematch for the 145lb gold will headline a card stacked with Aussie and Kiwi talent, with Dan Hooker featured in the co-main event against Benoit Saint-Denis.