Zuffa LLC

Alexander Volkanovski won’t entirely rule out retirement following UFC 333, but that isn’t his plan.

Volkanovski has been enjoying his second run as the UFC featherweight king, but some believe a big threat looms in the unbeaten Movsar Evloev. Volkanovski is scheduled for a title defense against Evloev on Oct. 24. The UFC 333 headliner will be held in Abu Dhabi.

“The Great” will be 38 when he steps inside the Octagon this fall. In an interview with 10 News, the decorated champion said the only way he retires at UFC 333 is if he runs into a nightmare outcome on fight night (via Bloody Elbow).

“If things go terribly wrong, alright, we’re done,” Volkanovski said. “If things go very well, like the last one, with no damage, we’ll keep it rolling. I’m taking each fight as it goes. I’m trying to be real with it, but I don’t have plans on retiring right now. I’m pretty sure we are gonna keep going.”

Volkanovski is one of the sharpest fighters in the sport more often than not. Even with brutal knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, Volkanovski lived up to his nickname by bouncing back and recapturing the 145-pound title. Handing Evloev his first career loss would only further cement his legacy, but if things go south, the retirement talks could grow louder.

Evloev has amassed a perfect 20-o record up to this point. He earned a majority decision win over Lerone Murphy back in March, which ended up sealing his contender status. Prior wins over former UFC bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling and Diego Lopes certainly helped.

Volkanovski’s last outing was a successful title defense in a rematch with Lopes at UFC 325. A win for “The Great” over Evloev would make it three in a row since his most recent defeat to Topuria.

Could you see Alexander Volkanovski running into an outcome so bad that he retires at UFC 333? Share your opinion in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM