Dana White Greenlights Volkanovski vs Gaethje After Makhachev Pulls Out

Dana White has given the green light to a lightweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Justin Gaethje.

The UFC president confirmed the matchup is on the table during a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show.

But he also revealed a major hurdle that could prevent the fight from happening.

The decision, White said, ultimately rests with Gaethje.

“You know, I would pretty much do anything for Alexander Volkanovski at this point in his career,” White told Rome.

“Great guy, great athlete, great champion. The big question is: what does Justin Gaethje wanna do?”

The timing of this development is no accident.

It comes just days after White publicly criticized lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for pulling out of a planned title defense against Carlos Prates at UFC 336 in January 2027.

White confirmed to The Mac Life that Makhachev had verbally agreed to the Prates fight before withdrawing.

“Yeah, it was verbally agreed to,” White said.

The champion’s decision forced the UFC to create an interim welterweight title fight between Prates and Michael Morales for the January 30 event.

White expressed frustration with Makhachev’s activity level as champion.

“Being the champ, I don’t really expect you to fight three times a year, but twice would be nice,” he said at a press conference following UFC 333.

The UFC president suggested that financial security might be driving Makhachev’s decision to fight less frequently.

“I think it’s money,” White explained.

“Once you get so much money — when guys are young and hungry, they want to fight a lot because they want to get paid. But once you start to get enough money, you don’t have to fight all the time.”

Makhachev has defended his choice to decline the Prates fight, arguing that the matchup makes little sense for his career.

The champion pointed out that he recently defeated Ian Machado Garry, who had previously beaten Prates.

According to Makhachev, fighting Prates would add little value to his resume given this chain of victories.

Now, with Makhachev out of the picture for January, White is looking at other options for the lightweight title.

Volkanovski, 38, has been talking about a move to lightweight for months.

The Australian is hoping to finally capture the title and become a two-division champion.

He has already challenged Makhachev twice for the 155-pound crown.

Their first meeting at UFC 284 was a closely contested affair, with Volkanovski pushing Makhachev to his limits before losing a decision.

Many fans felt Volkanovski had done enough to get his hand raised.

Their rematch at UFC 294 went very differently.

Volkanovski stepped in on short notice after Charles Oliveira withdrew due to an injury, only to suffer a devastating first-round knockout via head kick.

Now, with Gaethje holding the lightweight title and uncertainty surrounding his future, a potential showdown with Volkanovski could offer both veterans a memorable final chapter.

Gaethje won the lightweight title with a dominant performance at UFC 313, defeating the previous champion in a fight that earned widespread praise.

White mentioned Gaethje’s “unbelievable win at the White House” during the interview, referring to a ceremonial recognition of the champion.

But the champion’s immediate focus is elsewhere.

Gaethje is currently participating in the 2026 Internet Invitational, a $4 million celebrity golf tournament hosted by Barstool Sports and Bob Does Sports.

The event is taking place at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri.

When Rome pressed White about Gaethje’s next move and whether the UFC was already negotiating with him, White pointed to the American’s ongoing participation in the tournament.

“I don’t know yet,” White said.

“He’s in the middle of this golf thing. You know, We’re talking to him, but we’ll figure it out.”

White added that Gaethje will have to make a decision about his future soon.

“He’s going to have to pull the trigger one way or the other, see if he wants to retire or continue to fight,” White said.

This uncertainty is the key obstacle to the Volkanovski fight.

White made it clear that he would have no problem booking Volkanovski against Gaethje for the lightweight championship.

But he also stressed that the decision ultimately rests with Gaethje and what he wants to do next.

“I would pretty much do anything for Alexander Volkanovski at this point in his career,” White repeated.

Volkanovski recently achieved another milestone at featherweight at UFC 333, further solidifying his legacy at 145 pounds.

But the Australian has his sights set on a bigger challenge.

A win over Gaethje would make Volkanovski a two-division champion, a feat achieved by only a handful of fighters in UFC history.

It would also avenge his two losses to Makhachev, at least indirectly, by capturing the belt that Makhachev once held.

For Gaethje, the fight represents a chance to cement his own legacy.