Even before UFC 333, Alexander Volkanovski was viewed as the greatest featherweight of all time. Yet, with a burning desire to still compete, he returned to the Octagon on Saturday night to defend his title once again. This time against younger and larger challenger Movsar Evloev.

At 38, the Australian remains one of the best fighters on the planet because, in just under two rounds, Volkanovski outclassed his bigger foe to score his first knockout win in three years. The victory proved he still has a lot left in the tank he wants to continue to fight.

If Volkanovski does, we look at four potential opponents for his return in 2027.

Jean Silva

The most obvious option would be fan-favorite heavy hitter Jean Silva. Outside of a loss to Diego Lopes last year, he is 7-1 in the UFC with four KO wins. “Lord” is one of the division’s most exciting fighters, and he would give the legend a serious test.

Petr Yan

Volkanovski twice failed when he jumped up in weight to try and win gold at lightweight. What if he chose to be the one to welcome a smaller champion to his division next year? With his career close to its conclusion, it is all about legacy fights. Volkanovski going toe-to-toe with bantamweight king Petr Yan would be a huge matchup that would excite new and long-time UFC fans.

Justin Gaethje

Heading into UFC 333, Volkanovski floated the idea of moving up to lightweight one more time to battle fellow legend Justin Gaethje. On paper, the super-fight is very interesting and might be a pick ’em bout. While many fans would be all for it, the big question is: does the lightweight king have any interest in the matchup?

Aljamain Sterling

One last option that might interest Volkanovski because of the historic implications would be a scrap with Aljamain Sterling. The American made the move to featherweight two years ago and is 3-1 inside the division.

As a former bantamweight champion and a legit contender at 145 pounds, a potential matchup checks off the big fight boxes if Sterling can beat Kevin Vallejos next month.