Alexander Volkanovski gives update on next fight, possibility of Yair Rodriguez rematch
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.