"I don't hate it" - Dana White gives surprise response to idea of interim featherweight title fight
Dana White is open to the idea of an interim title fight between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett.
During the post-fight press conference on July 16, White was asked his thoughts on the possibility of an interim featherweight championship match. The UFC president said Volkanovski might be out of action for some time due to a hand injury. Thus, an interim title fight might not be a bad idea.
"Volkanovski, I think is gonna have surgery on his hand. I think there's something wrong with his hand... You're asking if that's [an interim title fight] a possibility? I like it. I don't hate it."
You can watch the full press conference below:
There is no clear front-runner to challenge for the featherweight title.
Yair Rodriguez took on Brian Ortega on July 16, but the fight ended on an unfortunate note as 'T-City' suffered a shoulder injury in the first round. Rodriguez ended up winning the fight via TKO.
Emmett, on the other hand, is on a five-fight win streak. His last fight against Calvin Kattar was a close affair.
Dana White weighs in on Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira
Dana White believes that the fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira is going to be fireworks.
During the UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. Rodruguez press conference, White guaranteed that Adesanya's next title defense fight against Pereira will definitely live up to the hype.
"When you are sitting in my position, you can't give too many guarantees... I absolutely, positively guarantee you that the next fight that Israel Adesanya fights will be absolutely bats**t nuts."
After his recent win at UFC 276, 'The Last Stylebender' called out 'Poatan' for a fight. The rivalry between the two has an interesting backstory as Pereira has two wins over the New Zealander in kickboxing. On top of that, the Brazilian is the only person to ever knock out Adesanya.
So, a fight between the two with four-ounce gloves should make for a very intriguing affair. White's recent comments suggest that the UFC is moving in that direction.