Dana White may have struck gold again, following his acquisition of Patricio Pitbull from the PFL—this time targeting none other than Aaron Pico. The UFC boss was rumored to have lined up the rising star for a high-stakes showdown against undefeated Dagestani talent Movsar Evloev at UFC Apex on May 17, 2025. However, the hype has seemingly fizzled out, as Joe Rogan may have accidentally spilled the truth about Evloev’s fate at UFC 314—putting those dream matchup rumors to rest.

The UFC CEO planned to push Movsar Evloev to the corner before giving him a title shot, however, the plans appeared to have derailed as, according to Joe Rogan, the undefeated Dagestani has pulled out of his fight against Pico.  The UFC color commentator said this on live TV, leaving the fans in a dilemma. Well, was it a rumour, then? When asked about his rumored fight with Evloev, Pico ascertained that Ali Abdelaziz contracted him about it, however, the fight never materialized.“Yeah, it was real. I mean, I got a phone call from Ali, saying, ‘Hi, can you fight on May 17th?’ And I said, ‘Of course.’ And then I just said, ‘Who am I fighting against?’ He said, ‘Movsar.’

He further added, “And I said, ‘Of course. That’s a great, that’s a great fight for me. Yeah, I don’t think he knows how good my wrestling is.’ And he said, ‘Okay. Movsar agreed, too.’ So, I don’t know. It was pretty close. For him, it was kinda hard because he’s #4 and I’m just coming in. I can understand why he probably got advised not to ultimately take it. But he did say yes. I’m sure he got in with his team, and they said, ‘What are you doing? Just wait.’ So, nothing but respect!”

The 28-year-old fighter couldn’t have asked for a better debut setup—landing a high-ranking contender like Evloev right out of the gate was a clear message from the UFC. Pico couldn’t ask for more from the UFC, but Movsar Evloev wanted more from the UFC. So, why did he pull out of his match against the PFL hotshot? Let’s have a look at it.

Movsar Evloev sets his sights on Alexander Volkanovski

After the fight was rumored, Movsar Evloev’s management team took center stage to announce that they would wait for the outcome of Diego Lopes vs. Alexander Volkanovski before confirming any future matchups. Now that ‘The Great’ has reclaimed the championship, it has opened the door for the Dagestani contender to stake his claim for the belt—especially considering Volkanovski himself had stated that he would give Evloev a title shot if he regained the throne.

After winning the battle, Volkanovski stated in his Octagonal interview, “It’s good to be back. I love it so much. Oh, man. I was saying all week, even to the camera before I walked out, I said, you know, I promised my girls I’ll bring the belt back to them. But then I was thinking, look, it doesn’t matter about bringing the belt back. I think the message was, man, a lot of people counted me out, right? Coming off two knockout losses, the 35-year-old curse, 36 years old, big break and come back, come back and beat a gun like Diego Lopes who come and bring it”

Volkanovski was in a celebratory mood, however, Movsar Evloev has come forward to remind him about his promise, “Congratulations on an excellent performance, you’re a true champion! Now let’s see what your word is worth! @alexvolkanovski #UFC314,” wrote the Dagestani on his X handle.

Will the UFC book a fight between these two in the future? That’s the question that is yet to be answered. Given that, what are your thoughts on the hubbub? State your opinion in the comments below.