For the first time in nearly a decade, Australian UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski will compete on home soil with the sport’s biggest prize on the line. As anticipation builds ahead of UFC 325 in Sydney on February 1, the 37-year-old superstar has been forced to put an end to growing speculation that this event could mark his final walk to the Octagon. Despite the noise, Volkanovski insists he has no intention of stepping away from the sport just yet.
The Wollongong native, who remains one of Australia’s most decorated MMA athletes, will defend his featherweight title in a rematch against Brazilian contender Diego Lopes. It will be his first fight in Sydney since 2017 and his first opportunity to defend a UFC belt in front of a predominantly Australian crowd. For a fighter who has spent years competing on the road, returning to a setting so close to home carries immense meaning—not just for Volkanovski, but for the community that watched him rise from Windang to world champion.
Ahead of fight week, Volkanovski made it clear that February 1 will be a day when Wollongong practically stands still.
"If you want to knock over a house in Wollongong that'll be the day because they'll all be empty," he joked.
"I could have sold every ticket in the arena just off the family and friends link the UFC sends us."
The fight represents something that has eluded Volkanovski throughout his championship reign: the chance to hear the belt wrapped around his waist while surrounded by his own people. Although he fought Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in Perth in 2023, that was not a featherweight bout, meaning the champion has been defending his crown exclusively overseas for years.
Despite the enthusiasm surrounding his homecoming, the veteran fighter has also found himself the subject of retirement chatter. With his 38th birthday approaching, many fans and pundits have wondered whether this bout could mark the end of an era. Volkanovski acknowledges the conversations but firmly rejects the idea that UFC 325 will be his final appearance.
"I'm 37, of course people think, 'How long is there?' and I'm not going to sit here and say I have five or six years left," he admitted.
"There's no plans to retire after this. If the camp goes horrendous and the fight goes horrendous maybe I won't have it anymore."
But he immediately followed with intent:
"But I think I do, I've proven that in training and I will prove that February 1st and not just that, I think I can make it look easy. That's no disrespect to Lopes, that's just where I believe I can take it — without much damage and get that quick turnaround I wanted last time."
The champion’s desire for a fast turnaround was not fulfilled after new contenders surged into the featherweight rankings, including undefeated Russian Movsar Evloev and England’s Lerone Murphy. While many fans hoped one of the rising stars would be next in line, the UFC instead booked a rematch between Volkanovski and Lopes—whose recent knockout of Jean Silva put him back in the spotlight. Yet the decision has stirred mixed reactions, with some believing the division needs fresh matchups.
Still, Volkanovski was adamant that fighting at home was a top priority. After the UFC struck an agreement with the New South Wales government in 2023 to bring four pay-per-view cards to Sydney, the champion had been hopeful he would feature prominently. Instead, circumstances at various times—including injuries and short-notice opportunities—prevented that from happening. With UFC 325 marking the final event of that contract cycle, his window to defend a title in Australia had begun to narrow.
Despite this, he refuses to treat this as the twilight of his reign or his career.
For Volkanovski, the first fight against Lopes earlier this year became a pivotal moment. It restored his confidence following consecutive knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria—defeats that carried both physical and mental weight. The bout helped him recalibrate, proving to himself and the MMA world that he still possesses championship-level sharpness.
Speaking candidly, he recalled the pressure of rebounding from back-to-back knockouts and the internal doubts that can creep in during a career of his magnitude.
"There could have easily been a position where I didn't want to fire, where I was hesitant," he said.
"With someone like him you can't be, if you don't fire you'll get whitewashed. I'm proud I've still got it, I stuck to what I trained because there's so much talk about bouncing back from the knockout losses."
He added that even when doubt lingered, he managed to block it out:
"Those thoughts could sink in before and even during the fight, and even if they were loud I found a way to not listen and instead do what I needed to do."
As he returns to Sydney, Volkanovski has embraced the reflective nature of the moment. The last time he fought in the Harbour City—back in 2017—he was two fights into his UFC career, far from headlining status and even further from the championship conversation. That night, he earned a unanimous decision over Shane Young, but the experience felt more like a test of composure than a celebration.
This time, the dynamic is completely different.
The now-legendary featherweight admits he used to be consumed by pressure, unable to relax or enjoy a hometown crowd. But with years of experience, title runs, and world-class performances behind him, he approaches the challenge with a newfound sense of balance.
"I'm still as driven as I was then, but now I have a better understanding of everything — being great was the only thing I could focus on," Volkanovski said.
He contrasted his younger self with the fighter he is now:
"That guy wouldn't let himself enjoy the home crowd, he wouldn't embrace the energy, he'd be worried he'd lose composure and get too emotional."
Now, though?
"But now? Bring it on. I want the crowd. I want the pressure. This is where I thrive. I want the pressure of having my whole family there, it makes for a better story and it makes for a better win."
As UFC 325 approaches, Volkanovski is positioned not only to defend his featherweight crown but also to author another chapter in his storied career—a chapter written at home, surrounded by the people and the place that made him who he is. Far from signalling the end, the Sydney event might just spark the beginning of the champion’s next great run.
