Dana White’s ‘Unfair Bias’ Costs Alexander Volkanovski His 2025 UFC Return

At UFC 314, people were talking about Alexander Volkanovski and his featherweight title for a second time. He beat the top contender at that time, Diego Lopez, in a great fight. But who will he fight next? Well, former UFC fighter Josh Thomson recently weighed in on the title picture, taking two names who may not necessarily be in Dana White’s good books.

Volkanovski’s recent triumph bears another layer of story: in the opening minutes of UFC 314, he reportedly suffered what appears to be a hand injury—possibly a fracture—yet still executed a master class in footwork, timing, and strategy to wrest the title back. His coach, Joe Lopez, confirmed post-fight that Volk fought through the injury and credited Lopes for forcing them to adjust mid-fight.

Alexander Volkanovski is not one to back down from a challenge against young guns. He wants to test himself, and as far as the 145lbs landscape is concerned, Josh Thomson believes that one fight makes sense between two top contenders. And the winner of that fight could very well go on to challenge for the title, but it depends on Dana White, whose decision will have a major impact on the champion.

Does Alexander Volkanovski’s fate depend on Dana White’s decision?

One of the few undefeated fighters in the UFC competes in the featherweight division, Movsar Evloev. Josh Thomson has praised the Russian star’s skill set, especially his wrestling, when compared to others in the division. “Movsar… in terms of holding people down, Evloev, he’s got that down,” the veteran stated on his YouTube podcast. However, there’s another contender, who’s also a former champion, who could give the Russian star a tough challenge.

Well, the contender we are talking about is Aljamain Sterling, who made the jump to 145lbs after dropping the bantamweight belt. And he’s done well so far after losing in his featherweight debut against Movsar Evloev. It was a close fight, and booking a rematch would make sense, according to Josh Thomson. But given that their relationship with Dana White is in a sour state, it is unlikely that this fight will happen.

“‘Aljo’ to me is really the guy that kind of threatens him. I know that they fought, but that is a threat to me that I think it will reintroduce itself later on,” Josh Thomson added. “UFC doesn’t like either one of them. So, I don’t think we’re going to see that fight again… I’d actually like that fight. I don’t think we’re going to see that fight again.”

Perhaps there are no two more deserving title contenders currently than Movsar Evloev and Aljamain Sterling. The Russian star has been calling for a title shot for a long time, and many dub him to beat Alexander Volkanovski. But his wrestling-heavy fighting style has not been able to please Dana White. The CEO wants fighters who can draw, and apparently, neither Evloev nor Sterling appears as a major draw in the eyes of the head honcho.

So, in a way, Alexander Volkanovski seems to be in luck. Why? Well, the toughest challengers just can’t make their way towards him. ‘The Great’ could continue his reign for some time in the process. But also, he risks sitting at home on the sidelines for the rest of the year due to a lack of title contenders.

Nevertheless, Alexander Volkanovski is aiming at every possible title contender in the division. In fact, he’s got eyes on another undefeated featherweight fighter who shone at the most recent PPV, UFC 319. Let’s take a look at that front.

The champion wants Lerone Murphy next

Lerone Murphy recently entered the title conversation in a big way after spoiling Aaron Pico‘s debut at UFC 319. He elbowed the former PFL star into oblivion to earn a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus, his 17th professional win, and of course, a callout from the champion himself. Alexander Volkanovski did not much his words, as he made a direct callout to ‘The Miracle’ for a potential title fight.

“See you in December… Congrats,” said ‘The Great’, who wants to fight one more time this year. In the post-fight presser, Lerone Murphy responded to Alexander Volkanovski, revealing that the timeline he’s provided seems to be feasible, accepting the offer. “December will be great to share the octagon with Volkanovski, one of the featherweight GOATs. Adding another scalp to my already quality resume,” the undefeated fighter added.

Well, all the decisions go through Dana White and the matchmaking team. Given that Alexander Volkanovski is not getting any younger, it’s important for him to keep fighting and stay active during the time that his career’s got left. What do you make of the current situation in the featherweight title scene? Drop your comments below.