Alexander Volkanovski is growing tired of questions about his retirement, insisting he has no immediate plans to walk away from MMA as he prepares for his next featherweight title defense against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi this Saturday.
The 38-year-old champion has acknowledged that the end of his fighting career is approaching, but he believes he could still have several fights left in him. Speaking to MMA Junkie ahead of the event, Volkanovski made it clear that he is not ready to retire just yet.
“I'm just a very self-aware and honest person. Like, I will have these conversations. But don't be surprised if I'm here for another three fights, you know what I mean? That's just how I am,” Volkanovski said.
The Australian explained that he had similar conversations before his previous fight against Diego Lopes at UFC 325, when he admitted that a disappointing performance could potentially convince him to call time on his career.
However, following that bout, Volkanovski has continued competing at the highest level and is now preparing for another title defense.
“I mentioned it even before my last fight when I was fighting Lopes. I'm like, ‘Oh, we'll see how this fight goes, you know, if things go terribly wrong, that's it.’ But here we are, straight away, not straight away, but here I am fighting and there's no plans to retire,” he added.
While Volkanovski remains committed to defending his championship, he is also realistic about how much longer he can compete. The featherweight king acknowledged that he is unlikely to have a lengthy run of fights remaining, even if he is not ready to step away from the sport.
“We're not silly and we're not going to be delusional and act like I've got another 10 fights left in me. Like, I just don't. But no, I don’t want to be here for another 10 fights. Maybe a few more, though, or maybe a couple. We'll see.”
