Alexander Volkanovski has locked in another UFC featherweight title defence against rising star Ilia Tuporia in February as the Australian looks to rebound from an early knockout in his last fight.
The 35-year-old last month took a rematch against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev with just 11 days notice and paid the price for his lack of preparation with a brutal first-round knockout loss.
Despite the manner of the defeat, Volkanovski immediately said he was eager to get back in the octagon as soon as possible, with UFC Dana White granting his wish.
White announced on social media overnight that the Tuporia fight would go ahead in UFC298 in February, with the exact date and location to be confirmed and Toronto floated as an option.
Volkanovski (26-3) has five successful title defences at featherweight while Topuria (14-0) is a 26-year-old Spain resident of Georgian descent and is 6-0 in the UFC with five finishes.
The Wollongong ace stepped in at the last minute to replace injured challenger Charles Oliveira against Makhachev and admitted later that it might have been a "silly idea".
He said he'd been keen to fight again following arm surgery in July, with his mental health suffering without a fixed goal.
"I needed to get in camp and this fight came up and I'm like 'it's meant to be, let's do it'," the father of three said.
"But maybe it was just a silly decision under the circumstances.
"I never thought I'd struggle with it, but for some reason when I wasn't fighting or in camp, I was just doing my head in.
"I needed a fight and this opportunity came up."
