Jean Silva’s latest comments seem to confirm the doubts that have lingered for the past few months. According to the Brazilian, Movsar Evloev may get snubbed yet again for a fight with the featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Thanks to Dana White and the UFC brass, Silva revealed, he may likely jump the queue to challenge the Australian champion, even if that means sidelining Evloev, the No. 1-ranked contender at 145 lbs.

“You’re asking if I’d be fighting Diego (Lopes) and then fighting for the belt? No, I would actually get that belt,” Jean Silva said during an interview with MMA Junkie. “I’m getting that belt and then after that, I’ll give a title shot to Diego as a rematch… I’m the next one in line for the title. I’m the next one that’s going to get that belt. I’m taking that belt back to Brazil. Hunter (Campbell) is helping me out with that. My manager, Ivan (Jatoba), is helping me out with that. Dana (White), as well.

“You can see the path they’re trailing me. They’re giving me the path to that. I’ve said this before: I think the chances of Evloev fighting Volkanovski by the end of the year, when Volk has said he wants a fight with me by the end of the year, I think the chances of that happening are slim. If Volk wants to fight somebody, I’ll be ready to fight him. If I have to fight somebody else or beat up on somebody else before I’m on my way to fighting him, I’ll fight him at the end of the year.”

The confidence that Dana White and UFC CBO Hunter Campbell is backing him stems from multiple factors. To begin with, it’s not something new. Jean Silva has been speaking about it for some time now. Heading into UFC London, which took place on March 21, it appeared the puzzle surrounding Volkanovski’s next title defense would be resolved by the headliner between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy.

The 17-3 fighter, however, remained convinced that he would receive the opportunity because he believed he was the “full package” the UFC needed. He also tied his title contention to the promotion’s business needs, particularly the viewership. And that’s where, some believe, Evloev gets the short end of the stick.

While an outstanding fighter with a 20-0 unbeaten record, the Russian has a reputation for winning the majority of his bouts by decision, largely because of his grappling-heavy style. From a promotional standpoint, that approach could prove to be a big drawback.

Silva fights in a distinctly different style, where 15 of his 17 wins came inside the distance (12 knockouts, 3 submissions). Making his debut on a Fight Night two years ago, the Brazilian was riding a five-fight winning streak before his compatriot Diego Lopes stopped him in the second round of their bout last September.

A few months later, Silva bounced back from that setback by scoring a dominant win over Arnold Allen on the inaugural UFC 324 card on Paramount+.

Despite Evloev beating Murphy at UFC London and reaffirming his position at the top if the rankings, Dana White’s refusal to comment directly on the Dagestan native’s title contention forms the next part of the narrative.

Jean Silva’s optimism: The writing may already be on the wall for Movsar Evloev

During the post-fight conference of UFC London, when a reporter brought the matter to his attention, the UFC CEO replied, “Possibly, yeah. I mean, again, I’m not even thinking about that. The fight just ended, but yeah, obviously he’s in a great position.”

Evloev noticed that hesitation. Speaking with the reporters, he thanked White for considering him a “potential” candidate to face Volkanovski. But his tone could barely hide the sarcasm as he left it to fate, saying, “Let’s see what happens.”

Taken together, Jean Silva’s latest comments only point in the direction that the featherweight division’s next title fight is likely to take.

What adds another layer of intrigue to the situation is how even the champion wants a fight with Evloev.

Speaking with nine.com.au at Sportsbet’s FIFA World Cup launch, early in June, Volkanovski, who hasn’t fought since his February title defense against Diego Lopes, expressed hopes of facing Evloev in his next outing. “He’s the deserving No. 1 contender in the division, and that’s the type of champion I want to be. I want to reward that,” he stated.

For the UFC though, it does not matter. To put the situation into context, the matter may not be entirely unprecedented in the promotion.

The most prominent example that mirrors the situation at 145 pounds belongs to the lightweight division, where, despite Arman Tsarukyan holding the topmost rank, he has been overlooked, with Justin Gaethje receiving the opportunity to challenge Paddy Pimblett for the interim title before getting the chance to challenge Ilia Topuria for the championship at the White House card. Even at featherweight the same happened earlier this year when Diego Lopes was handed the title shot despite losing the title fight a year earlier to Volkanovski. Despite the outcry at the time, Lopes went on to fight Volk again just to lose the rematch at UFC 325 in February. Now, it seems the history is repeating itself.

With that in mind, Jean Silva emerging as Volkanovski’s next potential challenger should not come as a surprise.