Despite Alex Volkanovski having a pretty solid case for getting next dibs against current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight champion, Max Holloway, the promotion opted to give the title fight to Frankie Edgar. Indeed, the two talented 145-pound combatants will duke it out in the main event of the upcoming UFC 240 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on July 27, 2019.
The decision obviously upset “The Hulk,” who is undefeated (7-0) inside the Octagon, and has won 17 fights in a row overall. Despite being “pissed off” at the timing of the fight announcement — a few days removed from his win over Jose Aldo at UFC 237 — Volkanovski finds comfort in knowing the promotion told him he is up next.
“I was pretty pissed off with timing of the announcement @BlessedMMA vs @FrankieEdgar...In saying that, the plan for me was always fighting for the belt later this year, and the @UFC have made it clear as #1 contender, I’m next in line,” he said via Instagram.
“I wish Max & Frankie all the best, and I look forward to meeting either of you in the octagon later in the year.”
In the end, perhaps the timing was a bit beneficial for Volkanovski, who suffered a bad blood infection shortly after UFC 237. With more time off now to take it easy and heal from that — and anything else that might be affecting him — Volkanovski can sit back to see how Holloway vs. Edgar unfolds.
If all goes well, “The Great” could face the winner of the 145-pound title fight at the upcoming UFC 243 event, which is tentatively scheduled to take place in Volkanovski’s home country of Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 5, 2019.
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