Yair Rodriguez is not happy to see Alexander Volkanovski pursuing a lightweight title fight.
At UFC 280, Volkanovski served as the backup fighter for the main event that saw the vacant lightweight title up for grabs. Following Islam Makhachev’s submission win over Charles Oliveira, he called out Volkanovski and the two went face-to-face in the Octagon.
The plan is for Volkanovski and Makhachev to fight in Perth, Australia at UFC 284. Yet, it seems like the booking has stalled as the featherweight champ took to social media to ask if Makhachev is still going to take the fight.
https://twitter.com/alexvolkanovski/status/1588336027797970944
“Are you a man of your word? @MAKHACHEVMMA? Let’s make it happen! #UFC284,” Volkanovski tweeted.
Following a back-and-forth between Volkanovski and Makhachev on social media, Yair Rodriguez then took a shot at the current featherweight champ. He claims Volkanovski agreed to fight him when they saw each other at UFC 277.
Hey @alexvolkanovski Are you a man of your word?
We had a talk in Dallas. Everyone knows I’m next #perth #australia https://t.co/VqLyw3Rked pic.twitter.com/hVtmvPlZvL— Yair Rodriguez (@panteraufc) November 4, 2022
“Hey @alexvolkanovski. Are you a man of your word? We had a talk in Dallas. Everyone knows I’m next,” Rodriguez tweeted.
As of right now, Volkanovski has not responded to Rodriguez’s tweet as he seems set on getting the lightweight title fight. The Aussie has been vocal about cementing his legacy and becoming a champ-champ would do just that. He has also said he would like to see an interim belt be made for the featherweight division, but Rodriguez is adamant he will face Volkanovski next time out.
Yair Rodriguez (14-3 and one No Contest) is coming off a TKO win over Brian Ortega in a fight that ‘T-City’ dislocated his shoulder in the first round. The victory got him back into the win column after a competitive decision loss to Max Holloway. The Mexican is currently ranked second at featherweight and holds notable wins over Korean Zombie, B.J. Penn, and Dan Hooker among others.
Would you like to see Yair Rodriguez vs. Alexander Volkanovski?