After reclaiming the UFC featherweight title, Alexander Volkanovski has several responsibilities to fulfill. Among the many, one is to provide title fight opportunities to the rising contenders. While Volkanovski already has either Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy as his next opponent, another featherweight contender’s revelation has brought more intrigue to the story. To that end, it would completely put Evloev and Murphy out of the picture.

“Let’s go for another one? Dude, we’re coming,” said Jean Silva in an Instagram Story. “Hunter and Dana invited me to watch Evloev’s fight live and sign the contract for the belt. Let’s go, it’s going to be the biggest promotion people have ever seen in history.”

Now, Alexander Volkanovski is fresh off a title defense win against Diego Lopes at UFC 325. And right after that, the speculation grew about the next challenger. The promotion seemingly deemed Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev as potential candidates. Not because of their popularity or theatrics, but for their consistent performances.

Both Murphy(19-0-0) and Evloev(17-0-1) will now put their unblemished records at stake in an unofficial title eliminator fight at UFC London this weekend. But Jean Silva’s claim has suddenly raised concerns regarding that perfect pathway for the two undefeated featherweights’ title shot. For sure, Silva is also another contender in the division.

Compared to Murphy and Evloev, he has a unique personality and fighting style, where he is often seen focused and locked in with his opponents during the fights. Adding to it, his knockout power makes him one of the most dangerous featherweights in the division. Maybe that’s one aspect that makes him very confident about getting a title shot next. After entering UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023, Silva stands on a record of 6-1 in the promotion.

But is that enough? Maybe, maybe not. As of now, it’s only him who is advocating for Volkanovski’s next title defense bout. However, despite Silva’s claims, the live broadcast of UFC Vegas 114 confirmed that the winner between Murphy and Evloev will be the one fighting for the featherweight title next.

So, that leaves one to speculate why the Brazilian is pushing such a narrative? Amidst the efforts, it seems like Volkanovski has a clear mind on who he wants next.

Alexander Volkanovski previously favored Murphy or Evloev over Jean Silva

Alexander Volkanovski is arguably one of the legends in the UFC featherweight division. Although Ilia Topuria overthrew him for a year, Volkanovski has reclaimed the title again by defeating Diego Lopes at UFC 314, after Topuria joined the lightweight division. Now, at this stage of their career, fighters often opt to build their legacy.

In the case of ‘The Great’, he wants to do the right thing by fighting the deserving contenders in his division. After his title defense in a rematch against Lopes at UFC 325, Volkanovski prioritized Evloev or Murphy as his next challenger over Silva.

“But now he’s saying some stuff and thinking that he really deserves next,” said Volkanovski on his YouTube channel. “If the UFC will push that for me, everyone knows me. I’ll fight anyone, but I don’t think that’s very likely to happen. I don’t think he’d be in a position to be able to fight for the title, especially when you’ve got Lerone Murphy and Movsar fighting very, very soon.”

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Notably, ‘The Great’ once sought lucrative opportunities when he moved to fight for the UFC lightweight title against Islam Makhachev. He fought twice and failed on both occasions. Now, with contenders like Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev coming up, Volkanovski doesn’t want to distract himself with entertaining bouts.

Now, although Jean Silva is not rated highly like Murphy and Evloev, he is an entertaining fighter. But the UFC featherweight champion has his plans. However, after Silva’s latest tease, it surely leaves the MMA community to speculate again about who Volkanovski fights next.

That said, do you want Volk to fight someone between Murphy and Evloev or Silva? Let us know in the comments below!