No. 1-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight Movsar Evloev scored a controversial majority decision over Lerone Murphy in the main event of UFC London this past weekend (Sat., May 21, 2026) inside the O2 Arena in London, England — a result that, on paper, should have solidified his spot as the next title challenger.
But in today’s UFC?
And that’s exactly what’s frustrating reigning Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Volkanovski had
previously expressed interest in facing Evloev, even targeting a matchup earlier this year. Instead, he was booked in a rematch against Diego Lopes — a fight that literally no one in the world wanted— and now could be staring at another unexpected challenger in Jean Silva, who has been campaigning for a title shot.
The Australian isn’t thrilled with how things are playing out.
“I’ll be honest with the Silva situation — he’s yet to prove himself,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “He fought a top guy and lost — a guy I beat twice comfortably. If I beat him, then he goes on to lose to your Movsars and Lerone Murphys, people are going to look back and say, ‘Why did he fight that guy?’”
Volkanovski made it clear he’s not ducking anyone — he just wants the matchmaking to make sense.
“I’ll fight whoever the UFC tells me to,” he continued. “But how many times am I going to fight guys that are undeserving when there’s a clear No. 1 guy? It’s getting ridiculous… and it’s getting to the point where it makes me look like the bad guy for not fighting the No. 1 contender.”
From his perspective, the division already sorted itself out.
“Everyone knows what type of champion I am,” Volkanovski said. “How many times can I not fight the No. 1 contender? [Evloev] was already No. 1, then he fights No. 3. Those guys were clearly ahead of everyone else. Diego Lopes is No. 2, but I’ve already fought him twice.”
And in his mind, the answer is simple.
“It’s obviously going to be Movsar,” Volkanovski added. “I’m a pretty easy champ to understand, I will face the best. Even if UFC pushes someone like [Jean Silva] it would be whatever but it’s gonna come to a point where it’s like, what are we doing here? We’re just wasting my [last few years].”
For Volkanovski, it’s about legacy — and that means beating the best available.
“I want the undefeated guy that has beaten all of the other contenders, all of the top guys,” Volkanovski said. “I know if I beat him, it’s going to look very good on my resume because his record and who he has beat. I’m confident he’s going to beat all of the other contenders so it’s going to age well.”
In an era where champions are often accused of picking favorable matchups, Volkanovski continues to push for the toughest possible opposition — even if the UFC isn’t always on the same page.
The two-time Featherweight champion is targeting a return this summer (July or August) for what would be the third defense of his title in his second reign.
