"Good point by Volk" - Fans react as Alexander Volkanovski speculates what’s holding up Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski's thoughts on Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev being delayed have created a buzz among fans and pundits. Meanwhile, Belal Muhammed is set to make his first welterweight title defense at UFC 315 against Jack Della Maddalena, with the probability that Makhachev is waiting to see the result before making a move.

Maddalena's win could intrigue Makhachev to jump straight to the welterweight division and be less interested in defending his lightweight belt. The uncertainty has only fueled speculation about what the UFC is planning.

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Volkanovski said:

"You've got the Belal situation... If Jack Della Maddalena wins that fight, Islam's moving up. Let's be real. Islam is moving up straight away. Is that what they're waiting for? There's a lot of moving parts right now."

Check out Volkanovski's comments in the video below:

The featherweight division is in chaos after Topuria vacated his title, leading to Volkanovski being booked against Diego Lopes at UFC 314. The chaos recently doubled with the news of Dan Hooker pulling out, and Rafael Fiziev stepping up against Justin Gaethje for a rematch.

With all these last-minute changes, fans are wondering about the UFC's next move. A fan replied, saying:

"Good point by Volk but I really want to see Illa vs. Islam"

Another fan said:

"Good thing jack has zero chance."

Referring to Madallena, fans added:

"Ilia ducked Lopez and now Arman.. He is cowrrddd"

"Dang Belal already said he’s not moving up after this one so… maybe 'JDM' winning wouldn’t be so bad. Makhachev needs a second belt"

Others wrote:

"JDM won't beat Belal"

"Belal is gonna make sure Islam can’t run from Ilia… “Remember the Name” 50-43 incoming"

Check out more fan comments below:

Fan comments on Alex Volkanovski's opinion [Screenshots courtesy: @arielhelwani on X]

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Alexander Volkanovski opens up on near-retirement thoughts

Alexander Volkanovski recently admitted that he had been teetering for a long time. The double KO had him thinking about giving up the sport for good and retiring. He said:

"But after the two knockouts, I'm like, you know what? I made the decision and accepted the decision to have a proper break. That wasn’t my decision previously. I wanted to fight, and I was getting held back, and I was still doing the full training schedule with nothing really in sight. And that was just weird for me."

Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (15:19):