Dana White open to Volkanovski vs. Gaethje lightweight super fight

UFC CEO Dana White has signalled the promotion will not stand in the way if Alexander Volkanovski wants one more run at lightweight before retiring. "If he's got things he wants to do before he hangs it up, I'm sure we'll be very supportive," White told Main Event ahead of UFC 333, where he also called the 38-year-old one of the greatest of all time.

The idea came from Volkanovski on Who The Fook Are These Guys: a send-off against lightweight champion Justin Gaethje with the 155-pound belt at stake. BJPenn.com reported he said both men would retire afterward regardless of the result, while Bloody Elbow reported he framed it as both vacating their titles so neither division is held up. Asked directly about the matchup, White only said Volkanovski can mix it up with anybody.

It would be Volkanovski's third shot at lightweight gold. He lost a close decision to Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 in Australia, then was knocked out by a head kick in a short-notice rematch at UFC 294 after Charles Oliveira withdrew with a cut.

The pitch complicates the lightweight picture, with Arman Tsarukyan waiting for a title shot and Gaethje still weighing his future. None of it matters unless Volkanovski first hands Movsar Evloev his first loss, a fight the betting has close to a pick 'em.