Russian Fighter Snubbed by Dana White as Plans for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez Title Rematch Goes Viral

Dana White's plan to book a rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez comes at the expense of rising Russian fighter.

Russian Fighter Snubbed by Dana White as Plans for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez Title Rematch Goes Viral

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez rematch in the works (Image via MARCA)

Alexander Volkanovski regained his featherweight title at UFC 314 in Miami. With plans to remain active, Volk is awaiting his first challenger of his second title reign. Many thought Movsar Evloev deserves the next shot as he has a 9-fight winning streak to his name. Moreover, the Russian fighter is undefeated, and could give Volk a run for his money.

It appears that the UFC will look elsewhere for a challenger to compete for the featherweight belt. The leading candidate is none other than Yair Rodriguez, who picked up a UD win at UFC 314. What started as a startling rumor will now become a reality as Evloev pretty much confirmed that he was not next in line. This comes despite getting a promise from Volk and his team.

@alexvolkanovski thank you Champ for trying to fight me, I will fight in July and you fight in September, hopefully we both win and we can meet in December. I told the UFC I will fight anyone they want and InshaaAllah after I win I cannot be denied anymore.

Movsar Evloev has a bad reputation of being a ‘Decision Machine‘ in the UFC. He has yet to win a UFC bout via knockout or submission so far. As such, even Dana White is not fond of the Russian fighter. Last year, the UFC CEO commented that Evloev’s fight against Arnold Allen was really lackluster. Due to this, he was moved down to PPV prelims instead of main card for UFC 310.

The decision to award Yair Rodriguez a title shot will remain extremely controversial. After all, ‘El Pantera’ is 3-2 in his last five fights. However, the promotion has to put on a PPV card for the Mexican Independence Day in September. Having a Mexican to headline the card will become a necessity, and the UFC may have decided the next 145-pound title contender based on that.

Is Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez rematch a closer fight than before?

MMA Insider Alvaro Colmenero recently confirmed that the UFC aimed to book Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez rematch for the upcoming Noche UFC event in 2025. The annual Mexican Independence Day card will get special if a homegrown talent competes for a UFC gold in front of his people. This time, the PPV event will happen in Mexico for the first time.

Apart from Rodriguez and Brandon Moreno, there is no other Mexican talents in the top of their divisions. However, the promotion might not want a flyweight title fight featuring Moreno as their headliner. This could be why the UFC wants to have Volk vs. Rodriguez as the main event. Considering how the first bout went, is there any reason why Volkanovski shouldn’t be considered the favorite?

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 (Image via Bloody Elbow)

At UFC 290, Volk easily defeated ‘El Pantera’ for the 145-pound title unification bout. The Aussie superstar comfortably controlled the fight in the first two rounds with striking and grappling. Though the Mexican star fought back in the third round, Volk capitalized on a counter and put his rival away via TKO.

However, things have now changed very much from 2023. Volk suffered two knockout losses after defeating Rodriguez. The chin is not as strong as before. It was evident in the UFC 314 title fight against Diego Lopes as well. Lopes knocked Volk down twice in that fight, but couldn’t put the veteran away.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez has a deep arsenal of strikes that he can pull off from any angle. This could be where the Mexican might hold an advantage in the rematch. Volk must make the bout as technical as possible, using his grappling to avoid dangerous exchanges with the Mexican fighter.

If not, Rodriguez will aim to find Volk’s chin and put him away for good. The age of Volkanovski and the last potential title fight of Rodriguez’s career adds some intrigue towards this title fight booking. So far, an official announcement has not been made, but it will likely happen in the coming weeks.

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