Alexander Volkanovski says he would vacate featherweight title to fight Arman Tsarukyan

The UFC featherweight champion said there have been no calls from the UFC yet, and that he is getting more excited about Tsarukyan than a fight with Justin Gaethje.

Alexander Volkanovski says he would give up the UFC featherweight title to fight Arman Tsarukyan for the lightweight belt if Justin Gaethje retires.

Asked by Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show whether he would vacate at 145lb, Volkanovski said: "I'll vacate the featherweight belt, fight Arman for the title." He added: "I'm starting to get more excited for that than the Gaethje fight."

Volkanovski said there had been "no calls" from the UFC yet, but that the promotion wanted to know what he wanted to do and was considering whether a move to lightweight could happen. He said what had held him back was not wanting to take someone else's spot, and that Tsarukyan's talk about lightweight champion Gaethje could settle it. "Arman keeps saying that he thinks that Justin is going to retire," Volkanovski said. "So if Justin really does retire, now I think it's all been settled."

Volkanovski also pointed to the weight. "The good thing is I don't have to do the weight cuts and all that sort of stuff," he said. "I'll vacate and fight Arman for the title or Gaethje, 100%."

Volkanovski stopped Movsar Evloev in round two at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 24 October, then pitched a lightweight fight with Gaethje as the last of his career. Tsarukyan has said Gaethje is "trying to duck" him and that he would fight Volkanovski.

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