Breaking: UFC books interim featherweight title fight between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett for UFC 284

As Alexander Volkanovski prepares for a lightweight move up, the UFC has announced an interim featherweight title matchup between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett.

The fight will take place at UFC 284 in Perth which will be headlined by Volkanovski's lightweight clash against Islam Makhachev. The booking was announced by Jon Anik during the UFC 281 broadcast on Saturday night.

Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett is a done deal for the interim featherweight championship! 🏆 #UFC284 https://t.co/CFOJbfufXh

While the idea of a potential interim title fight between the two was floated by Dana White back in July, Rodriguez, even recently, had been rallying for a featherweight title shot against Alexander Volkanovski. However, the 30-year-old will now have to settle for an interim title shot against Emmett.

Hey @alexvolkanovski Are you a man of your word?
We had a talk in Dallas. Everyone knows I’m next #perth #australia twitter.com/alexvolkanovsk… https://t.co/hVtmvPlZvL

While Rodriguez is the number two ranked featherweight contender, Emmett is ranked number five in the division. 'El Pantera' is coming off a TKO loss against a compromised Brian Ortega back in July. Prior to that, Rodriguez had dropped a unanimous decision against Max Holloway in a 'Fight of the Night' clash in November last year.

Meanwhile, Josh Emmett is coming off a tightly contested split decision victory over Calvin Kattar, which also won 'Fight of the Night' honors. This made it five in a row for the 37-year-old, three of which were bonus-winning performances.