Opinion: Say It Ain’t So, UFC

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It wasn’t that long ago that I discussed how the Ultimate Fighting Championship used to care about what the fans wanted, or at least took into account what those who formed its core fanbase believed. It has been a while since that was the case, and if the rumor that has been floating around proves to be true, it appears it will be some time—if ever—before the company takes those who prop up its business into consideration again.

Alexander Volkanovski captured the undisputed featherweight title for a second time in April. While it was a nice feather in his cap, it wasn’t the earth-shattering coronation you would expect for someone with his legacy. A good chunk of that is due to Volkanovski only managing to win the title after it was vacated by the man who took it from him, so no one views him as the true best featherweight on the planet. Regardless, if Ilia Topuria had no desire to continue to defend the belt, he did the right thing by vacating it. A successor was needed to replace him. Thus, while the lack of hoopla over Volkanovski again reigning over the division is understandable, he is a rightful champion.

From there, the question became who should next challenge him for the title. Most thought the answer was obvious: Movsar Evloev. While being undefeated can be deceiving, with Evloev, there’s plenty of value in his perfect record. Nine of those wins have come in the UFC, the last three of them coming over high-quality opposition. Yet the evidence indicates that Evloev isn’t next in line.

Evloev posted the following on X on May 22: “@alexvolkanovski, thank you champ for trying to fight me. I will fight in July and you fight in September, hopefully we both win and we can meet in December.” The post has since been deleted, but he also posted the next day: “I told the UFC I will fight anyone they want and InshaaAllah after I win I cannot be denied anymore @danawhite.” While neither Evloev nor Volkanovski have had their next assignments officially announced—there were unofficial rumblings that Evloev would meet Aaron Pico in July—the evidence remains strong that a bout between them will not be going down in the near future.

While it’s hard to believe there’s anyone more deserving than Evloev at this point, there can be some understanding as to why he isn’t getting the next shot. Evloev is undefeated, but he’s also a decision machine. Every single one of his UFC bouts has gone the distance. While a lack of finishes doesn’t necessarily mean a fighter is boring, that’s how the UFC tends to interpret those who struggle to stop their opponents. Remember, though, that Evloev’s match with Diego Lopes earned “Fight of the Night,” and his encounter with Aljamain Sterling proved to be one of the most entertaining grappling-heavy battles in recent memory.

Nevertheless, if it wasn’t going to be Evloev, who gets the shot? Maybe Arnold Allen? Sure, he’s only won a single fight since coming up short against Evloev and Max Holloway, but the 12 consecutive wins he posted beforehand—10 of them in the UFC—might carry some weight. Perhaps Lerone Murphy, though he’s similar to Evloev. While he’s undefeated as a pro and owns an 8-0-1 record in the UFC, he’s known for going the distance, too. However, Murphy is dinged in comparison to Evloev because of the draw on his ledger and the fact that his success has come against a slightly lower level of competition. He does get some additional plaudits for securing a pair of finishes. Both Allen and Murphy hail from the United Kingdom, which represents a more business friendly environment than Evloev’s native Russia. I wouldn’t agree with either choice, but I could understand going those routes.

However, it appears as though the UFC isn’t going with Allen or Murphy. No, rumor has it that the UFC plans to plug in Yair Rodriguez for a rematch with Volkanovski. Yes, the same Rodriguez that Volkanovski stopped in the third round of a lopsided affair less than two years ago. What has Rodriguez done since? He lost to Brian Ortega via submission, then proceeded to outpoint Patricio “Pitbull” Freire to a unanimous decision in April. “Pitbull” carries a respectable name as a former Bellator MMA champion, but most would agree he’s on the wrong side of his prime, with his performance against Rodriguez ranking among the worst of his career. That’s not inspiring in terms of getting fans to want to see Volkanovski defend his belt against “El Pantera” again.

The UFC appears to have a weird obsession with making Rodriguez a champion. It granted him an interim title fight against Josh Emmett after a victory over Ortega that felt flukish when it ended due to a shoulder injury. Prior to that fight, he had lost to Holloway. It was fun, but Holloway was the clear winner. Even more curious, Allen was at 10 consecutive victories at that point, only to be overlooked for in favor of Rodriguez. Even worse, Rodriguez has proven himself to be a once-a-year fighter since 2020. To make the UFC money, you have to show up.

To sum it up, the UFC would rather pass up an undefeated fighter with wins over a recent title challenger in Lopes and a former bantamweight champion in Sterling to give away the title opportunity, not only to someone the champion has already defeated but someone who fights once a year and holds a 3-3 record since 2020. It isn’t like Rodriguez is notably personable, either. He’s generally fun to watch, but his fight with Volkanovski didn’t fall into that category. Does the UFC think the second fight will be better? Please, someone make this make sense.

While I understand Rodriguez’s potential, I don’t see anything that indicates he’s ready to fulfill it. He’s roughly the same age Robbie Lawler was when he experienced a career renaissance, but “Ruthless Robbie” was forced to go through a murderer’s row before he claimed the title, all while fighting with insane regularity. Until Rodriguez can prove he’s willing to show up more often, it’s foolish to put any significant faith in him. The UFC would be better off going in a different direction, but the promotion won’t take advice from me, one of its core fans. It never does.