Alexander Volkanovski will lose so badly this Sunday that he has no option but to leave the UFC featherweight division for good – with rival Yair Rodriguez also warning he could target the champ’s mysterious face cut to get it done.

Only three days out from his blockbuster UFC 290 headliner, Volkanovski arrived for a Wednesday media day at the UFC Apex Centre sporting a plaster strip over covering a cut that, just beneath his right eye, was suffered in a Monday night grappling session.

UFC 290 | SUN JULY 9: It’s an Aussie Takeover in Vegas for one of biggest fights of the year. UFC Champ Alex Volkanovski takes on Yair Rodriguez and fan favourite Rob Whittaker returns to the Octagon. ORDER ON MAIN EVENT ON KAYO SPORTS >

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Yet rather than worry, the 34-year-old Sydneysider actually played up the situation — rocking up for what would eventually be an entire day of media commitments wearing a customised bandaid complete with UFC championship belt on it.

While the champ again stressed the laceration was only a mild one, Rodriguez told Fox Sports Australia he would definitely target the injury if an opportunity presented on fight night

Mexico’s livewire striker added that he planned to win so convincingly, Australia’s face of MMA would have no option but leave the division and move up to lightweight.

In response, Volkanovski challenged his opponent to target any perceived weakness, warning that to do so would only “end up worse for him”.

Certainly Rodriguez is ready for the International Fight Week blockbuster.

Asked if a win on the weekend would see him immediately rematch the man being dubbed the greatest UFC featherweight who ever lived, the challenger said: “That decision won’t be mine.

“It will be up to him.

“But I think he’s wanting to move up from this division anyway.

“He’s getting to that age now where the weight cuts become rough, you want to move up, it’s normal.

“And he’s definitely done great things for the sport — I don’t say anything bad about him.

“But it’s my time now.

“And I’m going to win this convincingly.

“I’m younger, hungrier.

“He’s had a great career and I think he will continue to have a career.

“But not in this division.

“This will be his last fight at featherweight.

“This is my division now.”

Given Rodriguez had not yet seen Volkanovski in fight week by Wednesday, he had no idea about the cut when Fox Sports Australia first put it to him during an interview inside the UFC Apex Centre.

“Ah, f…, man,” he said, appearing genuinely surprised. “That makes me sad.”

Sad?

“Yeah, it makes me sad because when I get this win I don’t want people saying he was cut or whatever.

“I want him to be 100 per cent.

“But I don’t think it will be much of a problem for him.”

Asked if he would target the cut, Rodriguez continued: “It could play to my advantage, of course.

“But there are a lot of things we go through leading into a fight.

“And he’s going to be ready.

“So I’m not going to be looking for that specific spot to hit on his face.

“I’m going to do my job.

“But if it’s there it’s there … there can be a lot of places to hit.”

While there has been plenty of conjecture about how small, or large, the cut is, Volkanovski again stressed it was simply a “scratch” and hadn’t required stitches.

“So there’s no stress, this is my look now,” he grinned.

“There’s obviously a little scratch but not stitches.”

Can it be targeted?

“You know what, having more attention to the cut is probably a good thing,” the champ continued.

“Because if he wants to focus on that, at the end of the day it will end up worse for him.

“So he can target it.

“But it’s under the eye anyway. So there will be no dramas at all.

“It’s all good.”

Speaking earlier in the day at a media conference, Volkanovski also revealed he would consider fighting UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling next up.

While Volkanovski plans to win this Sunday and go straight back into a rematch with UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, he admitted there were a variety of blockbuster options ahead — with Sterling also a future possibility.

Sterling next defends against Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 and has already suggested, if successful, he will depart the division as champ to fight Volkanovski.

“And if he takes out Sean, I think he’s definitely paid his dues,” Volkanovski said.

“How many title defenses would that be? Three or four?

“He’s a big dude.

“Yes, he’s got a tough fight ahead of him. But that’s another possible fight. There’s plenty of options.”