With a win over former champion Jose Aldo at UFC 237, Alexander Volkanovski separated himself as the No. 1 contender to fight for the featherweight championship.
There’s only one problem — reigning featherweight king Max Holloway is now scheduled to face Frankie Edgar at UFC 240 in July in a fight that was booked just days after Volkanovski defeated Aldo in Brazil.
To compound the bad news for Volkanovski, he spent the last week in a hospital room in Chile after he suffered a bacteria infection that required emergency medical attention. Now that he’s back home in Australia, the former rugby player turned fighter has offered his reaction to othe news that Holloway would fight Edgar next rather than him.
“I was pretty pissed off with the timing of the announcement [of] Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar,” Volkanovski wrote on Twitter. “In saying that, the plan for me was always fighting for the belt later this year and the UFC have made it clear as No. 1 contender, I’m next in line.
“I wish Max and Frankie all the best and I look forward to meeting either of you in the Octagon later in the year.”
With an undefeated record in the UFC including wins over Aldo and former two-time title contender Chad Mendes in back-to-back performances, Volkanovski has definitely done his part to earn a shot at the title.
The infection that put him into the hospital almost guaranteed that he wouldn’t be making a quick turn around to fight again in the summer anyways so now Volkanovski will rest and recover while waiting for the winner of the upcoming fight between Holloway and Edgar.
