Alexander Volkanovski eyeing potential BMF title fight if Islam Makhachev is busy: “I can have three belts!”

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski still wants to fight Islam Makhachev.

‘The Great’ has been out of action since his trip to lightweight in February. In the main event of UFC 284, Volkanovski faced Islam Makhachev in an instant classic. The two champions went back and forth for 25 minutes, with the lightweight champion retaining his title by unanimous decision.

Following the defeat, Alexander Volkanovski announced his plans to return to featherweight. He’s now slated to face Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 next month, with ‘El Pantera’ claiming the interim title earlier this year with a win over Josh Emmett. While Volkanovski’s next fight is slated for 145 pounds, he’s still keeping an eye on the lightweight division.

In fact, Alexander Volkanovski has his sights set on the UFC 291 main event. In a video published on his YouTube channel, the featherweight champion discussed his future plans, which hopefully include a rematch with Islam Makhachev. However, if he’s busy, he’s fine facing Dustin Poirier or Justin Gaethje for BMF gold.

The two are slated to have their high-profile rematch in July, headlining UFC 291. While Volkanovski would prefer the lightweight championship first, he’s still fine with holding three belts at the end of the day. Ideally, after securing the BMF title, he would then rematch Makhachev.

RELATED: FRANCIS NGANNOU CONFIRMS “ADVANCED DISCUSSIONS” WITH DEONTAY WILDER FOR TWO-FIGHT DEAL

(via UFC)

“If I had to lean towards someone, I’d lean towards Poirier,” Alexander Volkanovski stated on his YouTube channel regarding the BMF title fight. “He obviously won the last time they fought, and I’d probably lean towards Dustin. But you can’t tell me Justin Gaethje can’t catch him, you know what I mean?… It’s funny you say that, because I agree with it.”

He continued, “At the end of the day, fight anyone, anytime. Who’s the real badasses? The guys that fight injured and consistently, like Israel Adesanya, like myself. These guys are bad… 100% that’s something I’d love to do. I’ll do it anywhere, any place, any time… Maybe a BMF belt fight if Islam is doing his thing, and then we can rematch after. Then I can have three belts! Featherweight, BMF belt, and that lightweight belt.”

What do you make of these comments? Do you want to see Alexander Volkanovski fight for BMF gold?