Alexander Volkanovski is waiting along with everyone else to learn who his next Featherweight title defense will be against.
“The Great” won the vacant 145-pound strap at UFC 314, beating Diego Lopes with relative ease to regain the title he held from 2019 to 2024. Now, he’s looking for the toughest challenges to cement his legacy as the Featherweight G.O.A.T.
Unfortunately, the toughest names aren’t always the most bankable options.
Movsar Evloev is undefeated (19-0) and on a nine-fight win streak. He’s another tough as nails Russian grappler, but he hasn’t finished an opponent since arriving in UFC back in 2019. Yair Rodriguez is flashy and popular and has spectacular knockouts on his highlight reel.
But, he’s 1-1 since losing badly to Volkanovski in 2023 (re-watch that here).
So, who is UFC choosing between the two? Back when it was looking like Volk would headline UFC Guadalajara, it seemed clear the promotion was going to match him up with the Mexican option (Rodriguez).
“It’s pretty clear that it wasn’t gonna be Movsar,” Volkanovski told FOX Sports Australia. “That’s who I thought it would be. Obviously, him being undefeated and on the sort of a tear that he’s on.”
Now that UFC Guadalajara is now UFC San Antonio (those details here), it opens things up again. Which is good, because fans weren’t feeling the Yair vs. Volk rematch.
But, Volkanovski doesn’t think Evloev is back in the mix.
“I think they’ve matched him up,” the Australian fighter said. “You’ve seen him tweet something about that. So, he already went out and made that public that he unfortunately can’t fight for the title.”
“Yair’s name has popped up,” Volk admitted. “No dates are set right now. So, again, I think it’s just a lot of moving parts all through the whole division. I think there’s a lot happening right now. So we’ll see what’s happening. We’ll see what comes up.
“All I can tell you is everyone pretty much knows the situation, and the rumors you’re hearing are pretty much true, but nothing’s locked in,” he concluded.
Thought it was official he is fighting Yair at el Nacho?
Yair has zero business fighting for the title. It’s not interesting and it’s a joke. That said, Volk isn’t the same and I wouldn’t be surprised if Yair catches him.
Alexander Volkanovski is eager to continue his second reign as UFC champion.
“The Great” reclaimed the featherweight title this past April with a vintage performance against Diego Lopes at UFC 314. A vacant belt was up for grabs with now-former champion Ilia Topuria departing the division to move up to lightweight and Volkanovski seized the opportunity with both hands.
At 36, Volkanovski is approaching the twilight of his career, but he still wants to add more big fights to his legacy. Speaking to UFC Australia/New Zealand, Volkanovski provided an update on his championship plans, briefly mentioning the possibility of a fight with No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev.
“What’s next for me?” Volkanovski said. “Nothing’s too clear. There’s a lot of moving parts. Obviously, before the fight I was thinking it’s going to be Movsar, but I think he’s fighting. He mentioned him fighting.”
Evloev has been tied to a rumored bout with former Bellator star Aaron Pico, but no official announcement has been made regarding that matchup.
The other possible challenger frequently mentioned to face Volkanovski is Yair Rodriguez. When it was initially announced that UFC 320 would take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sept. 13 and serve as a continuation of the Noche UFC series, all signs seemed to point to Mexico’s Rodriguez getting a second shot at Volkanovski in the main event. However, with the Sept. 13 event now being moved to San Antonio and no longer a pay-per-view, it seems unlikely that Volkanovski’s next title defense will take place there.
UFC 320 is now scheduled for Oct. 4 in Las Vegas and that could be a potential date for Volkanovski’s next defense. September didn’t make sense for him anyway given that he and his wife are expecting a child that month.
“Hearing Yair’s name getting mentioned a fair bit, just the date of September has—you know, but that’s just probably not the best date,” Volkanovski said. “Obviously, I’m having a baby that month, so if we could work around that, that would be better. So we’ll just see what’s happening. Again, a lot of moving parts. We’re planning on having a chat with the boss, Dana [White] and [UFC executive] Hunter [Campbell], very soon, so we’ll see what’s going on.”
Volkanovski and Rodriguez previously fought in a featherweight championship unification bout at UFC 290 in July 2023. Rodriguez entered that fight as interim champion, but failed to take Volkanovski’s undefeated status as the Australian star finished Rodriguez via TKO in the third round.
I was live at the first fight and it was in no way competitive. I have zero interest in a rematch that will basically just determine how much Volk has degraded. I assume this is just for Mexican fans because I can’t imagine anyone else cares about this fight.
Alexander Volkanovski Meeting With UFC Brass
UFC Australia/New Zealand interviewed Alexander Volkanovski, who revealed he doesn’t know much about what’s next for him inside the Octagon (via MMAFighting).
“What’s next for me?” Volkanovski said. “Nothing’s too clear. There’s a lot of moving parts. Obviously, before the fight I was thinking it’s going to be Movsar, but I think he’s fighting. He mentioned him fighting.”
Things will soon be made clearer for “The Great,” as he’s expecting to meet with two prominent UFC decision makers in the near future.
“Hearing Yair’s name getting mentioned a fair bit, just the date of September has—you know, but that’s just probably not the best date,” Volkanovski said. “Obviously, I’m having a baby that month, so if we could work around that, that would be better. So we’ll just see what’s happening. Again, a lot of moving parts. We’re planning on having a chat with the boss, Dana [White] and [UFC executive] Hunter [Campbell], very soon, so we’ll see what’s going on.”
Many fans feel Yair Rodriguez would be better off fighting Diego Lopes, given the personal issues that both men have with one another. This would open the door for Movsar Evloev to secure a title opportunity. Stick with BJPenn.com for the latest updates on the UFC featherweight title picture.
Too bad Brian Ortega has faded so badly. He almost had Volk beat. I believe he decided to move up and I don’t recall the last time he fought.
He’s taken way too much damage.