Alexander Volkanovski is already widely regarded as one of the best featherweights of all time, but is he about to become the greatest?
The Australian will defend his featherweight title against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday as he seeks to add another accolade to an already glittering career.
Now in his second championship run, the 38-year-old will earn a record ninth win in UFC featherweight title fights if he triumphs against the Russian.
Victory would allow Volkanovski to surpass Brazilian icon Jose Aldo, whom many regard as the best featherweight of all time.
Fans and pundits have hotly debated the topic of the greatest featherweight, with American Max Holloway also considered among the best, but the modest Volkanovski refuses to engage with it.
"I think a lot of fighters don't like answering these questions, I'll leave everyone else to make these decisions," said Volkanovski.
"I'm not fussed about belts, title defences, numbers and all that. When I say I don't care - it is cool, but that's not what drives me.
"I'm not driven by getting the most title wins. I get more drive for the challenges and getting through those challenges."
When Volkanovski lost his featherweight title after being knocked out by Ilia Topuria in 2024, many thought his career was coming to an end.
The defeat was his third in four fights and second straight knockout after losing to Islam Makhachev only four months prior when attempting to win the lightweight belt.
Volkanovski has said he likes to return to action as soon as possible after defeat to right the wrong, but this time he took 14 months off.
Volkanovski was booked against Diego Lopes upon his return last year, with many believing retirement beckoned in the face of one of the UFC's brightest prospects.
But the Australian put on a masterclass to regain his belt, before repeating the performance in February to cement his place as the promotion's featherweight king.
To Volkanovski, overcoming adversity in what many regard as the twilight of his career means much more than breaking records.
"The things I'm doing at this age and how I'm doing it, is the real depth," said Volkanovski.
"When people throw out 'he's old' - I'm loving that. I want people thinking I'm too old and declining because when I overcome and get through, it's like 'how's he still doing it?' I'll play into that 100%."
Volkanovski is not a knockout artist or submission specialist, and he does not overwhelm opponents with his wrestling.
What he is, is one of the most well-rounded mixed martial artists in history.
Volkanovski's footwork, distance management, boxing and cardio are world class, which has helped him dominate opponents such as Holloway and Lopes.
When it comes to grappling, Volkanovski has gritty takedown and submission defence, which helped him compete gamely in the first fight against Makhachev and overcome the odds against Brian Ortega in 2021.
At 18 minutes and three seconds, Volkanovski has the longest average fight time in UFC featherweight history, illustrating his mastery inside the octagon.
His 11-fight UFC winning streak between 2016 and 2023 is second to Holloway's record 13, while his 1,623 significant strikes total is also bettered by the American's remarkable 2,971.
What Volkanovski holds over Holloway, however, is three victories, while he also beat Aldo in 2019.
Volkanovski might not want to admit it, but the stats and history books are weighing heavier than ever in his favour as the greatest featherweight of all time.
In 32-year-old Evloev, Volkanovski faces another difficult challenge with the Russian undefeated in 20 bouts and on a 10-fight winning streak in the UFC.
Win or lose, Volkanovski says he is not considering retiring, but added a "super fight" against lightweight champion Justin Gaethje could convince him to hang up his gloves.
Volkanovski has twice failed to become a two-division champion, with both defeats coming against Makhachev.
The first loss in 2023 was razor thin, with some believing Volkanovski should have been awarded victory with the Australian pushing the Russian harder over five rounds than any other opponent.
After reclaiming his throne at featherweight, winning a belt in a second division is one of the few things which Volkanovski is yet to tick off in the UFC.
"If I can fit in the equation of the lightweight division - we know Justin is unsure of what he wants to do next," said Volkanovski.
"I don't have any plans of retiring other than if we were to do something like this then maybe it's a super-fight, champion versus champion and we see ourselves off.
"It's something I would retire for, otherwise I'm taking each fight as it goes."
