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UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski expected Movsar Evloev to be his next challenger – but it appears he won’t be.
Prior to defeating Diego Lopes to claim the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314, Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) said he was willing to make his first title defense against Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in September. However, the promotion opted to go a different direction.
With Noche UFC originally set to take place in Guadalajara, Mexico in Sept. 13 before moving to San Antonio, Texas, rumors swirled that Yair Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is likely next for Volkanovski.
“It’s pretty clear that it wasn’t going to 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, but I think they’ve matched him up. 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. 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 really tell you is everyone pretty much knows the situation, and the rumors you’re hearing are pretty much true, but nothing’s locked in.”
Rodriguez in the title picture may come as a surprise to many since he is 1-2 in his past three fights. After back-to-back losses to Volkanovski for the featherweight title then Brian Ortega, “El Pantera” rebounded with a unanimous decision win over former Bellator champion Patricio Freire at UFC 314.
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