Robert Whittaker Clowns Alexander Volkanovski Rumored Rematch Against Yair Rodriguez

UFC veteran doesn't like the idea of Alexander Volkanovski fighting Yair Rodriguez for the second time in a featherweight title fight.

Robert Whittaker Clowns Alexander Volkanovski Rumored Rematch Against Yair Rodriguez

Robert Whittaker makes fun of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez title rematch (via Imago)

The UFC featherweight division saw a massive change after former champion Ilia Topuria vacated the belt, surprising many MMA fans. It allowed Alexander Volkanovski and young challenger Diego Lopes to fight for the title, raising the stakes for both fighters. The veteran emerged victorious, showing his experience and skill under pressure, proving he remains one of the best featherweights.

Alexander Volkanovski wanted to remain a busy champion and is currently rumoured to fight Yair Rodriguez, hopefully at Noche UFC. But UFC veteran Robert Whittaker, in his recent podcast, mentioned that he does have some reservations about the matchup and timing. The fighter also gave a substitution bout that could have created more hype than this title bout.

No one wants to see this fight. Not yet anyway. Because Volk did some good honest work in that first fight and I thought Yair had a lot to work on from that fight. I think a lot of it was mental, I thought that fight was very one sided. Now there was a storyline that whole fight week with him and Diego, I wanted that fight to happen. Tell me that fight couldn’t have headlined UFC Mexico.

In their first bout, Volkanovski dominated Rodriguez with relentless pressure and suffocating ground control from start to finish. Rodriguez’s explosive striking was completely neutralized, as Volkanovski mixed takedowns and heavy ground-and-pound to break his rhythm. The Australian champion overwhelmed the Mexican, earning a decisive TKO victory and bouncing back from his previous loss against Islam Makhachev.

Since that fight, Rodriguez has lost one more fight but made his comeback by beating Patricio Pitbull at UFC 314. However, throughout that fight week, he had heated back-and-forth with Lopes over their nationality and personal beef. Rodriguez criticized Lopes for representing Mexico despite being Brazilian, claiming the rising star hasn’t truly earned the right to carry that flag.

Their beef intensified after Rodriguez accused Lopes’ team of attacking his friend Marco Beltran unfairly in a ten-on-one situation. The Brazilian fired back by accusing ‘El Pantera’ of threatening a female teammate, vowing revenge and warning him to watch his back. As Whittaker said, that rivalry had an impressive potential but UFC chose not to chase it for now.

Top UFC featherweight contender gives up on fighting Alexander Volkanovski next

Currently, Movsar Evloev is one of the biggest title contenders in the UFC featherweight division. With an undefeated 19-0 record, Evloev rose fast in the featherweight division through dominant grappling and sharp striking. His elite wrestling, relentless pressure, and cardio make him a nightmare matchup for anyone, including champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Movsar Evloev reveals moving on from Alexander Volkanovski's title fight
Movsar Evloev reveals moving on from Alexander Volkanovski’s title fight (via X)

After beating top contenders, Evloev was set to demand the title shot, believing he had earned the right but was sidelined. According to the Russian, he was ignored at UFC 314 and wasn’t given an opportunity to speak with Volk in order to avoid this fight for now. Recently, the fighter revealed that he has already signed another fight and promised the ‘Great’ to fight him soon.

@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.

Volkanovski had immense respect for Evloev and believed the undefeated contender deserved a title shot more than anyone else currently. The lack of knockout or submission wins in the Russian’s career may have put him in the UFC’s bad book.

Despite that, UFC seems to favor marketing appeal, leaning toward a Mexican fighter headlining Noche UFC to attract broader national interest. Last year’s event featured Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, but UFC now aims for a culturally fitting main event.

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