According to one UFC fighter, the second dance between featherweight champion Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski is officially in the calendar.
The two standouts at 145 pounds collided almost 12 months ago in Anaheim, where Topuria secured his crowning moment as an undefeated fighter with a thunderous knockout of "Alexander the Great."
After a break from competition, Volkanovski outlined his plans to return straight into another title fight, be it a rematch with the Spaniard or Max Holloway, who challenged the champ in Abu Dhabi last October.
With "El Matador" keeping possession of the gold, his Australian rival has been expected to receive the next shot. And while talk of a lightweight move briefly put doubt over that, it would appear that all signs are pointing to a rematch.
During the latest episode of the Nickals and Dimes podcast on his YouTube channel, Bo Nickal stoked that flame by going as far as to state that the bout is "official" for UFC 314 in Miami on April 12.
April, 314. ... It’s official, I know for a fact," Nickal said. "I don't know that it was announced as a fact, but I know that (Topuria vs. Volkanovski 2) is happening.
Nickal, who has gone 4-0 in the UFC to date and most recently defeated Paul Craig, went on to outline his own plans to compete on that card.
The American's claim comes shortly after Dan Hooker, an occasional training partner of Volkanovski's, alleged that Topuria had turned down the rematch for UFC 313 in March due to weight concerns.