“I don’t give a s**t what the numbers say.” Dana White’s blunt statement made waves, targeting Arman Tsarukyan for pulling out of his bout against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 due to a back injury. However, Alexander Volkanovski, who recently defended his featherweight title against Diego Lopes at UFC 325, made it clear that rankings still hold weight in his world.

After Lopes was scheduled for a rematch against ‘Volk’ with other contenders waiting in line, fans were quick to question Dana White and Co.’s decision. After the UFC 325 main event, Volkanovski is likely to face the winner of a potential clash between Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev in London on March 31st. During the post-fight press conference, ‘The Great’ has openly backed Evloev to emerge victorious, believing the undefeated contender’s grappling and physical strength could prove decisive on fight night.

Alexander Volkanovski makes his choice as featherweight chaos brews

“I think Movsar will end up grappling him. He’s gonna be stronger. I think Movsar takes that.” The fresh off champ has made his prediction and stated his choice at the same time. If Volkanovski gets his wish, he’ll face the winner of Murphy vs. Evloev sometime this summer and continue adding to an already historic resume.

Alexander Volkanovski, when asked if he is open to fighting Arman Tsarukyan, who currently sits at rank #1 in the lightweight division, he clearly stated that he is not interested in fighting him if he does not come down to 145 lbs, which is a far-fetched possibility: “I’m not taking him that seriously. I’m not going to pay too much attention to it until I know it’s serious,” said Volk in his post fight press conference.

He also added that he would only want to defend the rightful contenders and considers it his responsibility.”I’ve got a responsibility as a champion. I don’t think enough champions look at it that way. There are rankings for a reason. If I’m just going to keep letting other people cut the line, I’m not really doing my part.”

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With that said, Israel Adesanya, before UFC 325, projected Jean Silva as a featherweight title contender. Coming off a victory over Arnold Allen, Silva has now challenged Volkanovski for a title fight.

Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight plans overshadow Jean Silva’s bold callout

Another name has crossed a lot of MMA fans’ and pundits’ minds following Alexander Volkanovski’s name. Even though the rankings call for Evloev or Murphy, the featherweight name headlining recently is Jean Silva, with a fresh off dominant victory against Arnold Allen in UFC 324. Silva has taken to X, calling Volkanovski out, which almost sounded like a threat.

“I know that Volkanovski is asking for Evloev, but I don’t know what. He’s asking the guys not to get hurt,” Silva said. “Bro, sorry to inform you if you want to stay good and without getting hurt, I understand you. But if you want to fight a guy who hits hard, I’m your guy, and I will tell you more. I’m going there to [training] camp with [Ilia] Topuria to break you. I’ll let you know. I’ll warn you, I go there.” Silva could have been a possible matchup for Volkanovski if he had not been knocked out by Lopes when they clashed in September.

As much as Silva wants a title shot, it is unlikely for him to get his wish fulfilled. Especially with Volkanovski already naming either Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy as his ideal next opponent. Give your thoughts on who should challenge ‘Volk’ next?