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Volkanovski reveals who and when he’s fighting next
Connor Scanlon • June 12th, 2025 6:32 pm
Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski recently won back his Featherweight title, with an impressive win over the super talented Diego Lopes at UFC 314, and he’s already looking to get back into the octagon.
Volkanovski announced that he originally thought Movsar Evloev was going to be his next opponent, however it is heavily rumoured that Evloev will be facing Aaron Pico in the coming months.
“Obviously before the (Diego Lopes) fight I was thinking it’s gonna be Movsar Evloev,” Volkanovski confirmed on Instagram via UFC Australia and New Zealand.
“But I think he’s fighting (Aaron Pico).”
Instead, one name keeps resurfacing for the Australian, and it is someone Volkanovski has already defeated before.
“You’re hearing Yair (Rodriguez) name getting mentioned a fair bit,” Volkanovski revealed.
Yair Rodriguez, however, is a controversial pick for the title shot.
Rodriguez was comprehensively beaten by Volkanovski in a title fight in 2023, then suffered another loss to Brian Ortega. His only win since then came against Patricio Pitbull, who was making his UFC debut.
The matchmaking has left fans and pundits scratching their heads, questioning why Rodriguez is next in line.
As for the timeline, Volkanovski mentioned that the UFC is targeting a September return.
“The date of September has (come up),” he said.
“But that’s just probably not the best date. Obviously, I’m having a baby that month.
“So, if we could work around that, that would be better.”
Although no contract has been signed yet, Volkanovski confirmed that a meeting with UFC executives is imminent.
“We’re planning on having a chat with the boss, Dana (White) and Hunter (Campbell) very soon,” Volkanovski announced.
“So, we’ll see what’s going on.”
With Volkanovski cryptically confirming that Yair Rodriguez is next, it will mark the Aussies first title defence since reclaiming the belt. Despite criticism of the challenger’s recent record, the Australian appears ready to silence any doubts - again.
