What Is Volkanovski’s Next Move?

UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has cast doubt on Jean Silva fighting him next after the latter called him out.

Following his second victory over Diego Lopes at UFC 325 to retain his belt, Volkanovski made it clear that the “line-cutters” will have to wait. This was after the exchange had turned personal. Before UFC 325, lightweight Mauricio Ruffy traveled to Australia to train with Volkanovski. Jean Silva, Ruffy’s longtime teammate, reportedly took the move to heart.

Volkanovski noted that Silva allegedly unfollowed Ruffy on social media. In a retaliatory post, Silva vowed to travel to Spain and train with Ilia Topuria—the only man to knock Volkanovski out at featherweight. Volkanovski has now had his say, as he suggested that the winner of Movsar Evloev vs. Lerone Murphy will likely be next in line.

Volkanovski Reacts

“You’ve got Silva, obviously just probably trying to get his name out there. He’s actually not a bad guy. I met him in Miami, and we got along pretty good. I thought he was a pretty nice guy, but now he’s saying a couple of things. I don’t know if he really is upset with the Ruffy thing. I don’t know if that’s an actual thing or people taking it way out of context.

“But now he’s saying some stuff and thinking that he really deserves next. 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,” Volkanovski said

Evloev’s Next Move

Movsar Evloev will face Lerone Murphy next at UFC London on March 21, knowing that a win could set up a title shot. Evloev is undefeated with a 9-0 UFC record. His last bout was a unanimous decision win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310 in December 2024. That was the fourth consecutive fight that he had a decision across the board. And given his recent inactivity, Evloev was grateful to be competing once again after missing 2025.

“I pulled out because of, I don’t know, some type of corona [virus] in Thailand. I was ready to fight but two weeks before the fight, I started feeling so bad. Even doing some easy exercises made me feel so bad. So, I decided to pull out because my body wasn’t ready to fight. Bro, even the first two months, I feel like, okay, maybe I’m not gonna come back because every time when I feel okay, then I go to the gym, then the feeling comes back,” Evloev stated