WHITE LEAVES THE DOOR OPEN: VOLKANOVSKI VS. GAETHJE?
“I think when you've accomplished what he has accomplished, there's not much we're going to say no to with him.”
Dana White will not say no to Alexander Volkanovski. After UFC 333, the boss left the door wide open to a Gaethje superfight — and the champion wants it as a send-off for both men.
Dana White did not announce a fight. He opened a door.
Asked about Alexander Volkanovski vs. Justin Gaethje after UFC 333, the UFC CEO gave the champion the closest thing to a yes a promoter gives before a deal exists.
"I think when you've accomplished what he has accomplished, there's not much we're going to say no to with him," White said. "So, we'll see how this whole thing plays out."
That is the news. Not a booking. Not a date. A green light in principle, from the one man who has to give it.
The Performance That Earned It
The 38-year-old featherweight champion stopped previously unbeaten Movsar Evloev by second-round TKO in the UFC 333 main event at Etihad Arena. Evloev entered 20-0. He left 20-1, with his first professional loss.
White was still buzzing about it at the post-fight press conference.
"Incredible, I mean the guy is an absolute stud," White said. "Coming in and beating an undefeated, younger, and the guy is built like a – you know what I mean? Volkanovski is incredible. He was the aggressive fighter, he was the one really going after him and trying to finish, and this guy is f*cking built different."
Volkanovski stunned Evloev late in round two and poured on punches until referee Marc Goddard stepped in with six seconds left. It was his first finish since 2023, and his ninth win in a UFC featherweight title fight — passing Jose Aldo.
The Pitch, In His Words
He wants Gaethje, the lightweight champion, and he wants it framed as a farewell for both men. Not a divisional takeover. A superfight both veterans can walk away from.
"A lot of times I'm like, 'I don't want to hold the divisions up,' but if I believe we can do this and not hold the divisions up, whether it's both our retirement fights and put it all on the line, it'd be cool," Volkanovski said. "A little bit of a superfight. Thirty-eight-year-olds going at it and just leave it all."
He is not asking to park two divisions while he chases a second belt. After the fight, he clarified he does not want to fight Gaethje for the 155-pound title. He wants a non-title retirement superfight that lets both divisions keep moving.
That distinction matters. A one-off send-off does not block a contender queue. A title grab does.
Why This Time Is Different
Volkanovski has been here before, and it did not end the way he wanted.
His previous two trips to lightweight ended in defeat. This time he is not chasing another championship. He is chasing a moment — two veteran champions, both near the end, putting it all on the line and walking away together.
Gaethje, listed at 28-5, is the other half of that equation, and his half is still blank. No response from Gaethje to White's post-fight position appears in the reporting so far. White sounds ready. Volkanovski sounds ready. Gaethje has not said his piece yet.
That is why "we'll see how this whole thing plays out" is the honest headline. White opened the door. He did not walk anyone through it.
The Other Names Still On The Table
Before UFC 333, Volkanovski himself named the featherweights standing out most to him: Jean Silva and Aljamain Sterling.
"Right now it's obviously Movsar, after Movsar you've got your (Jean) Silva's, you've got your Aljamain (Sterling), who are both pretty much in the exact same position," he told MMA Junkie. "They're probably the ones that stand out the most right now."
Sterling was scheduled to fight Kevin Vallejos on November 21. Those are real title fights, at Volkanovski's own weight.
So the board looks like this. White will not say no to Volkanovski. Volkanovski wants Gaethje, as a non-title farewell, without holding up either division. The featherweight queue has Silva and Sterling waiting. And Gaethje has yet to answer.
You love to see it — a champion with options, a boss who will listen, and a fight that only needs one more yes.
