Robert Whittaker believes Alexander Volkanovski has earned the right to pursue another UFC championship, backing the featherweight titleholder's ambitions to compete for lightweight gold.
Volkanovski recently strengthened his legacy with another successful featherweight title defense, knocking out Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 last month despite reportedly battling illness ahead of the fight.
Following the victory, the Australian expressed interest in moving up to 155 pounds for a potential superfight against Justin Gaethje. However, Gaethje's future remains uncertain after his memorable victory over Ilia Topuria at the White House last summer.
Should Gaethje decide to retire, Volkanovski has also suggested the possibility of facing Arman Tsarukyan for the vacant lightweight championship.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday, former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker threw his support behind Volkanovski, arguing that the featherweight champion has done more than enough to deserve the opportunity.
“Nah, let him fight. Let him fight Gaethje or Arman. The guy's cleaned out the division like twice, okay? He's fought everyone and their friend,” Whittaker said.
The Australian also pointed to Volkanovski's victory over Evloev as further evidence that he deserves the opportunity to chase another championship. The previously-unbeaten Evloev had been widely viewed as one of the biggest threats to Volkanovski's reign, but the champion delivered a convincing performance.
“Evloev was the guy that everyone thought would get it done. He was the guy that everyone that wasn't on the ‘Volk Wagon’ you know, they jumped on Evloev. He didn't do it, and he didn't come close. He didn't come close,” Whittaker added.
Whittaker believes Volkanovski has silenced his doubters and should now be rewarded for his accomplishments, particularly considering the health issues he overcame to secure another successful title defense.
“I think after that fight, after Volk silenced the doubters, and then obviously with his flu and everything else the guy's running through, just give it to him. Just give it to him. Like, he deserves it. He deserves it.”
Beyond Volkanovski's impressive résumé, Whittaker also believes a move to lightweight would make considerable business sense for the UFC. A matchup against Gaethje or Tsarukyan would generate significant interest while giving the featherweight champion an opportunity to achieve something he has pursued throughout his career.
“Plus, people will tune in. People want to see these sort of fights. I think let him go into this huge money fight. Give him a chance at fighting for that double gold status he's been hunting for so long,” Whittaker concluded.
Volkanovski has previously attempted to become a two-division UFC champion, challenging Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title on two occasions. He came up short in both encounters, but his latest comments suggest that another opportunity at 155 pounds remains firmly on his radar.
