"You gonna try and skip me again like last time...?" - Yair Rodriguez claims he's "next", calls out Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski's next opponent is the talk of the UFC town at the moment. Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega failed to throw up a legit No.1-contender. It seems that whoever will present the best argument to fight Volkanovski next, will get the title shot.
Rodriguez seems to be taking things into his own hands by calling out Volkanovski on Twitter today. Although much of the first round between Rodriguez and Ortega was edging towards 'El Pantera', it'd be unwise to assume he would have won this fight had it followed a more natural conclusion.
Rodriguez tweeted:
"You gonna try and skip me again like last time, or we doing it for real? You know I’m next, everyone does."
Rodriguez may not present the strongest case, but given the lack of options at featherweight right now, he could very well be next for Alexander Volkanovski.
Josh Emmett just does not seem to have gained the traction he needs to campaign for a title shot following his win over Calvin Kattar. Other than Emmett, the Mexican may be the only viable option for Volkanovski at featherweight.
Alexander Volkanovski has eyes on double-champ status, with many others calling for his head.
The title-clincher bout at 155 pounds was recently announced between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. The fight is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on October 22.
Alexander Volkanovski has thrown his hand up to face the winner. He wrote the following on Twitter:
"I got the winner!!"
With options in his own weight class running out, it is no wonder that the Australian is looking in other directions. Alexander Volkanovski derives his nickname from 'Alexander the Great', and he will be looking to conquer new lands in search of UFC gold.
The possibility of a fight with Aljamain Sterling, the current UFC bantamweight champion, could also interest Volkanovski. A fight against Henry Cejudo is also a distant probability. Both fighters have been vocal in their apparent confidence to defeat the best pound-for-pound featherweight in the world.
The world is currently Alexander Volkanovski's oyster, with champions and former champions alike popping out of the woodwork to see if they can have a crack at the formidable Aussie.
Volkanovski sustained a broken right hand during his latest fight against Holloway, and his return date is unclear right now. There is a lot of time for the champion to sit down and ponder upon what comes next.