Alexander Volkanovski finally broke the “35 and over curse” with a unanimous decision victory over Diego Lopes at UFC 314. After reclaiming the 145-pound throne for the second time, speculation around ‘The Great’s next opponent naturally kicked off, with Movsar Evloev emerging as the fan-favorite choice. However, since the undefeated contender has already announced Abu Dhabi as his next destination, Dana White’s possible matchmaking hasn’t exactly thrilled the fans.

After bringing the featherweight belt back down under, Volkanovski seemed open to several potential matchups. In the UFC 314 post-fight presser, he made it clear: “I’m going to leave everything to the UFC. Obviously, you’ve got Movsar, he’s undefeated, and I would love to take that zero. We’ve got to see what the UFC says.” That matchup was widely seen as the fight to make, but soon after, rumors began swirling about Evloev facing Aaron Pico at UFC on ABC instead. However, that buzz quickly fizzled out.

The fight with Pico didn’t materialize. But it gave us a clearer picture of the UFC’s plans, they want Movsar Evloev to face one of the sport’s top rising prospects before granting him a title shot. That intention became even more obvious when the Russian posted on X: “If you are a UFC fighter and believe you are the best in the world, then you have to fight every fight they throw at you. No risk, no reward. See you guys in July, it’s ON #AbuDhabi.” While that post didn’t explicitly rule out a clash with the champ, Evloev later followed up with another post that confirmed he wouldn’t fight for the title. 

Movsar followed up with a message of respect and intent, saying, “@alexvolkanovski thank you Champ for trying to fight me, I will fight in July and you fight in September, hopefully we both win and we can meet in December.” With that, it’s now clear that the current 145 lbs king won’t be part of the Fight Island card. However, this opened the door to a possible rematch with Yair Rodriguez at UFC 320, scheduled for September 20 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The rumor gained traction after Championship Rounds posted: “The UFC is planning to book the rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez next 👀 (per @alvarocolmeneromma).”

It’s a pretty interesting spot for the UFC right now. Yair Rodriguez and Diego Lopes had some serious beef at UFC 314, throwing curses like they were in a street fight, which had fans calling for that matchup. But Yair’s made it clear at UFC 314 post-fight presser he’s putting that drama on pause to chase the belt. That shift might’ve allowed Dana White to line up a Volkanovski rematch as the UFC Noche headliner. The Mexican has already lost to ‘Volk’ at UFC 290 by a third-round TKO, so fans are a bit on the fence about this rumored matchup.

Fans react to Alexander Volkanovski vs Yair Rodriguez potential rematch for UFC 320

One fan didn’t hold back, bluntly asking if this was the “worst matchmaking ever.” Because of the stylistic clash, the rematch could draw some eyes. But not everyone’s buying in. Another user called it “the fight nobody wants to see,” likely because of how one-sided their first meeting was at UFC 290. As another fan pointed out, “Crazy. I thought Volk won quite convincingly in the first one.”  Which is true, the 145 kingpin did have a little trouble dealing with Yair’s flashy kicks at first. But, in the later rounds completely turned it over by mixing his grappling and striking together and got the win in the 3rd round. 

Another fan weighed in, saying, “This rematch makes no sense. Movsar has a win streak and Yair beat someone making his debut in the UFC,” referring to Evloev’s nine-fight winning streak putting him in a title contention rather than Yair Rodriguez’s last win over Patricio ‘Pitbull’ which came after losing two back-to-back fights against Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. 

Another user took a shot at Dana White and the UFC, writing, “What happened to ‘the best fighting the best’? The UFC is getting boxing vibes, gimmick fights. It should be Movsar vs. Volk, Yair vs. Lopes, just in case someone pulls out.” The user’s harsh jibe was also aimed at the matchmakers in the war room for not putting these must-watch fights together. Movsar Evloev will be fighting at Abu Dhabi card, but the Rodrguez vs Lopes grudge match can definitely happen. 

One user got pretty fired up about the whole rematch talk, writing, “It’s been hard to be a UFC fan with all these undeserved title shots—first Suga, now Yair, soon we’ll see Holly Holm again.” That got a chuckle out of many. Then an Alexander Volkanovski fan jumped in, optimistic about the champ’s future, saying, “Thank goodness. Volk will get another defense.” Judging by the fighting style, the results are most likely to reflect a similar outcome if the rumor fight happens. However, the training camp will also matter in this case. 

With that said, many details about the fight are still under wraps, and we’ll have to wait for the head honcho’s next livestream announcement. There’s plenty left to be clarified before we fully buy into the idea that Alexander Volkanovski is heading to Mexico. But since it’s a strong possibility, what do you think, could this rematch happen? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!