Featherweight is on fire — and the UFC just dumped water on it.

In a division brimming with rising talent, fresh contenders, and high-stakes potential, the UFC has decided to double down on one of its most unnecessary and uninspired rematches: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez 2.

Fans are calling it what it is: a disgrace to a division that was once defined by elite matchups and legitimate title runs.

And while Volkanovski deserves respect as one of the greatest featherweights of all time, this is the fight you book? AGAIN?

Déjà Vu, and Not the Good Kind

Let’s be honest: their first fight at UFC 290 wasn’t even remotely close. Volkanovski didn’t just win — he dismantled Yair Rodriguez. It wasn’t a back-and-forth war. It wasn’t controversial. It wasn’t even competitive.

So why are we doing it again? Because Yair throws spinning kicks? Because he’s fun on posters?

Meanwhile, Movsar Evloev, sitting undefeated at 18-0, continues to be overlooked. And now, rumors swirl of pairing him up with Aaron Pico, a Bellator transplant who hasn’t even had a single UFC fight yet? What are we doing here?

Evloev Deserves His Shot — Not a Cross-Promotion Risk

Evloev has quietly beaten everyone put in front of him — Diego Lopes, Arnold Allen, and several others — with clinical precision. No hype, no trash talk, just pure dominance.

Yet, instead of rewarding that with a title shot, the UFC seems content to dangle him in a “fun fight” against Aaron Pico — a prospect with great potential, yes, but no real standing in the UFC’s top 10.

“Imagine Islam Makhachev getting passed over for a BMF rematch while they book him to fight someone from PFL,” one fan posted. “That’s what this feels like.”

What Happened to Meritocracy?

Featherweight used to be sacred ground. Aldo. Holloway. Edgar. Faber. Every fight mattered. Every contender had to earn it.

Now? The UFC is treating 145 like a highlight-reel popularity contest. If you’re flashy and marketable, you skip the line. If you’re technical and dominant but don’t speak English fluently? Get to the back.

This isn’t just bad matchmaking. It’s a slow erosion of what made the division great.

What About Ilia Topuria? Arnold Allen? Lopes?

If Volk vs. Yair 2 really goes ahead, it bottlenecks the division again. What happens to Topuria? What happens to Lopes, who’s earned his shine after giving Evloev hell and finishing Mitchell and Ige?

This entire scenario reeks of lazy booking and political matchmaking — and fans aren’t having it.

Featherweight Deserves Better

Whether you love Volk, Yair, Evloev, or Pico, one thing is clear: the 145 division deserves fights that matter, not just matchups that sell based on name recognition or viral potential.

Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez 2 is not just pointless — it’s a step backward.
Evloev vs. Pico? Interesting on paper, but a waste of a #1 contender.

UFC, do better. Or risk ruining one of your most elite weight classes.