Dana White Hints At A Possible Featherweight Interim Title Bout Between Yair Rodriguez Vs Josh Emmett: “I Like It.”
Yair Rodriguez (15-3 MMA) was able to significantly add credence to his case of being next for a 145lb title shot after beating Brian Ortega (15-3 MMA) via a first-round TKO win, during the promotion’s main event in Long Island, New York.
Although Rodriguez didn’t win the way he wanted to, he is focused on getting what he was promised by the UFC, which is a crack at the featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski (25-1 MMA) with the condition he won on Saturday against Ortega.
However, considering the unconvincing conclusion to the fight, the featherweight title picture has only become more confusing, with the likes of Josh Emmett and Arnold Allen also in the mix.
Despite this, when asked about the current 145lb title picture during the post-fight presser, Dana White expressed concern over the champ’s current health following an injury he obtained amidst the second round of his most recent title defense against Max Holloway at UFC 276.
“Volkanovski I think is going to have surgery on his hand, I think something is wrong with his hand. But yeah we’ll figure it out.”
What is Dana White’s next move for the Featherweight division?
With Volkanovski being out indefinitely, in addition to openly expressing his ambition to move up to Lightweight and become a two-divisional champion, the idea of an interim title bout may well be the most logical option.
Amongst all the confusion about what the future holds for the UFC featherweight, Dana White was faced with asked his thoughts on an interim title bout between Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett during his Post-Fight interview, appearing very open to the idea of booking it.
“Are you asking me if that is a possibility? I like it. I don’t hate it.”
The situation will penultimately come down to how long it takes Josh Emmett and Alexander Volkanovki to recover from their respected injuries.
Despite ‘El Pantera’ stating on ‘The MMA Hour’ that he would be happy to wait for the injured champ before fighting again, an interim title fight would be hard to say no to the Mexican native.
