Who Are the Biggest Threats to Alexander Volkanovski’s Second Championship Reign?

When comparing the Featherweight Division of 2025 to the same division a year prior, you can see the 145lb division is going through changes. Former Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria vacated his championship belt after finishing two all-time greats in Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, opting to expand his dominance to the Lightweight Division. Holloway, who seemed to have a chokehold on the top of the Featherweight Division for nearly a decade, made the move up to the Lightweight Division in search of more opportunities. Names such as Calvin Kattar, Brian Ortega, and Josh Emmett, who were mainstays at the top of the Featherweight Division, have slowly been swapped out for newer contenders. Such contenders will have to go through an aging, yet still physically imposing, Alexander Volkanovski. Who are the biggest threats to ‘The Great's’ Featherweight's throne?

Mosvar Evloev

Mosvar Evloev is by far the biggest threat to Alexander Volkanovski’s Featherweight Championship. A dominant wrestler with better-than-average striking, Evloev is as tough as it gets. With wins over Diego Lopes, Aljamain Sterling, and Arnold Allen, the Dagestani has one of the best resumes in the 145lb Division. Alexander Volkanovski is nearly impossible to take down, and especially difficult to hold down. For Evloev to defeat the champion, he would need to be perfect on the feet and search for opportunities to counter Volkanovski’s striking with a takedown.  

Lerone Murphy

The sixth-ranked Featherweight Contender, Lerone Murphy, boasts a near-perfect record with 16 wins and one draw. ‘The Miracle’ is a crisp kickboxer who typically opts to win his fights via decision. Murphy knows how to effectively keep his distance away from power punchers, as his win against Josh Emmett showed, and utilizes above-average takedown defense. A striker who knows how to use distance to his advantage and isn’t scared to go to the ground could be Volkanovski’s kryptonite at his current age.

Jean Silva

Jean Silva will take on Diego Lopes in his biggest test yet. If Silva can beat the dangerous Lopes, he will be next in line for a title shot. The most dangerous striker in the Featherweight Division, Silva would be a perfect stylistic matchup against Volkanovski. With the champion’s defense declining in each fight, don’t be surprised if Silva can land the right shot that puts Volkanovski out cold. On the ground, Silva possesses good jiu-jitsu, which could pose a threat to Volkanovski’s ground game.