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Alexander Volkanovski's return to the featherweight division is reportedly being targeted for UFC 290 during International Fight Week, according to Fox Sports. The featherweight champion will look to defend his title for the fifth time against interim champion Yair Rodriguez.
Full Violence shared the news on Instagram, stating:
"Volk. Yair. Featherweight title unification bout being discussed for International Fight Week in Vegas for UFC 290 on July. 8. (via @foxsports)"
Check out the announcement of Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez below:
Alexander Volkanovski has had a dominant run at featherweight. He is currently the longest-tenured champion in the promotion, aside from Amanda Nunes' women's featherweight title. Meanwhile, Yair Rodriguez will look to become the third Mexican-born undisputed champion in UFC history, joining flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso.
UFC 290 will take place during International Fight Week and is reportedly set to be headlined by Jon Jones' first heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic. 'Bones' recently surpassed 'The Great' as the UFC's No.1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter. However, it appears the two top-ranked fighters will both compete on the same card.
Jones will look to solidify his case as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. Meanwhile, Miocic will look to join Randy Couture as the second fighter in UFC history to become a three-time champion. Furthermore, the No.1-ranked heavyweight will have the opportunity to cement himself as the greatest heavyweight of all time by becoming the first fighter to defeat 'Bones'.
UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal is also expected to compete at UFC 290. Fellow middleweight Tresean Gore recently shared that the pair have agreed to compete on the card.
Yair Rodriguez previously questioned Alexander Volkanovski's return to featherweight
Alexander Volkanovski moved up to lightweight in his last bout as he attempted to become the fifth double champ in UFC history. In the co-main event of UFC 284, Yair Rodriguez became the interim featherweight champion. However, he appeared unsure if he would get the opportunity to challenge 'The Great'. Speaking on The MMA Hour, 'El Pantera' stated:
"At the end of the day, if he decides not to defend the title, that will make me the undisputed champion. Why? Because I'm going to defend the belt against somebody else, and what's going to happen? I'm going to be the undisputed champion."
Check out Yair Rodriguez's comments on Alexander Volkanovski below:
The featherweight champion has shared that he would like to challenge for the lightweight title once again. However, he will attempt to defend his title for the fifth time before doing so.
