"How much longer do I want to do this?” - Alexander Volkanovski breaks silence on career timeline and exit strategy ahead of UFC 314

Alexander Volkanovski will return to action at UFC 314 on April 12 for the vacant featherweight title. His opposite number will the marauding Brazilian-born Mexican fighter Diego Lopes, who has won five fights in a row after losing his promotional debut against Movsar Evloev at UFC 288.

With Volkanovski already having established himself as one of the greatest fighters in history, his return begs the question, how much more does 'The Great' have left in the tank?

Having suffered back-to-back knockout defeats in his last two outings, some fans have already declared the former featherweight king's career to be over. Ahead of his return, the Australian opened up on his own timeline for his eventual retirement.

He was recently interviewed by Ariel Helwani, during which he said:

"I'll be honest with you, a few months ago I didn't know. I was like, 'I might not be the same guy I was.' But [that] doesn't mean I can't win... I probably could go a few more years... Even winning [the belt] I'm thinking of, 'You know what, I'm done.' Because, how much longer do I want to do this? This ain't easy, Ariel."

He added:

"I'm expecting to maybe have a few more... I'll say that and then I'll have a fight and absolutely love it and go, 'You know what, give me another six or seven [fights]!' But how much longer? I still love, but how much longer do I want to do this to myself and my body?"

Catch Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (11:02):

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Alexander Volkanovski leaves Aljamain Sterling shocked with his physical condition ahead of UFC 314

Alexander Volkanovski began his pre-fight-camp camp in January as he geared up for what appeared to be a title rematch with Ilia Topuria. The former champion revealed that he was pulling out all the stops, including cutting his alcohol comsumption off until after the bout, a newfound practice.

But the Spaniard opted to vacate the belt instead and move to lightweight, leaving Volkanovski to face Diego Lopes instead.

With their clash roughly six weeks away, 'The Great' has finally begun his official training camp for the bout. He has trained in Thailand over the past few weeks alongside former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling.

Sterling shared his amazement at the physical condition of Volkanovski, saying:

"I came here and it was like, 'Oh you're not in shape. This is in shape.' He's in really good shape right now. To be this far out and to be moving like this is unreal. Unreal."

Catch Aljamain Sterling discussing Alexander Volkanovski below (3:58):