Alexander Volkanovski has made it clear that Jean Silva is not on his radar as the next challenger for the UFC featherweight title, casting doubt on the Brazilian’s sudden push for a championship opportunity.
The reigning champion (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) once again proved his dominance this past Saturday in Sydney, defeating Diego Lopes by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 325 to secure his second consecutive title defense against the same opponent. Lopes, who first fell to Volkanovski at UFC 314, earned his rematch after rebounding with a knockout victory over Silva.
Silva (17-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), meanwhile, snapped back into the win column just a week earlier at UFC 324 with a victory over Arnold Allen. Moments after Volkanovski retained his belt, Silva publicly called for a title shot and even floated the idea of training with Ilia Topuria as part of his preparation.
Volkanovski, however, questioned both the timing and the merit of Silva’s callout. With an undefeated Lerone Murphy (17-0-1 MMA, 9-0-1 UFC) set to collide with the equally unbeaten Movsar Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 270 on March 21 in London, the champion views that matchup as the division’s true title eliminator.
“You’ve got Silva — he’s probably just trying to get his name out there,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “He’s actually not a bad guy. I met him in Miami and we got along well. I thought he was pretty nice, but now he’s saying a few things. I don’t know if he’s really upset or if people are blowing things out of context.
“Now he’s talking like he deserves the next shot. If the UFC pushes it, everyone knows me — I’ll fight anyone. But I don’t see that happening, especially when Lerone Murphy and Movsar are fighting very, very soon.”
According to Volkanovski, the decision to match Murphy and Evloev against each other was surprising, given how clearly both fighters have positioned themselves as top contenders.
“Lerone Murphy and Movsar are the two most deserving guys, and they’re fighting each other,” Volkanovski said. “Either of them could’ve fought for the title already. That fight will decide a lot, so I’ll be watching closely. Lerone’s got the fight IQ. Can he get it done? I think he can — but I’d still lean toward Movsar.”
