“Congratulations on an excellent performance — you’re a true champion! Now let’s see what your word is worth,” wrote Movsar Evloev on X, following Alexander Volkanovski’s triumphant return to featherweight glory at UFC 314 with a win over Diego Lopes. Before the fight, Volkanovski vowed to give the undefeated Dagestani his shot, promising to “take out Movsar within three months” before entertaining any other challengers. Now, with the featherweight division buzzing once again, Evloev has stepped forward, and his bold promise has got the attention of the MMA world.
Despite his undefeated record of 19 victories, the UFC is not adamant about giving Evloev a chance at the shot. Reason? Well, as per the top brass of the promotion, the Dagestani is not the most exciting fighter since he has never finished any opponent in the UFC. However, the undefeated contender appears to be ready to throw his biggest weapon down the bus in order to fight against Alexander Volkanovski for the title.
While having a conversation with OverDogs Podcast, Evloev promised that he would not take down Alexander Volkanovski, rather he would just stand up and trade blows with the featherweight champion, “I can promise them that I’m not gonna take down anyone if they give me a title shot. I’m not gonna go there first. If they try to take me down, I’ll accept this. But I’m not gonna go first, I’ll just go straight striking.”
Quite a bold statement from the Dagestani, considering the fact that wrestling is his bread and butter. Many within the community believe that, apart from his wrestling, Evloev has nothing to showcase inside the ring, and for him to claim that he would not throw a takedown is quite big.
However, according to Volkanovski’s head coach, Joe Lopez, the Dagestani fighter will be easy to navigate for ‘Volk’, “I think he is a good wrestler, but he’s not a – what would you call him? He’s good at getting people down, but he doesn’t really do much with it once he gets them down. And that’s what I guess makes him boring … So he just hangs on to them, and I don’t think he’s going to be able to hang onto Volk. Volk is just so strong, and his scrambling skills, and his jiu-jitsu and wrestling are another level.” said Lopez in his conversation with Submission Radio.
Joe Lopez believes that Alexander Volkanovski would be too tough for Evloev to handle, even if he uses his wrestling—and that’s the truth. ‘The Great’ is a fighter who has battled in the middleweight (amateur), welterweight, and lightweight divisions before ultimately conquering featherweight as his domain. Well, Lopez is not the only one who believes that ‘The Great’ will emerge victorious in that battle.
Michael Bisping backs Alexander Volkanovski against Movsar Evloev
With his victory against Diego Lopes, Alexander Volkanovski has etched his name among the greatest featherweight fighters in the history of the promotion, and instead of fighting against any easied opponent, ‘The Great’ has decided to tango against the undefeated Movsara Evloev. The Aussie juggernaut has his sights set on his next opponent, and amidst this fiasco, Micheal Bisping stated that he’d put his money will be on ‘The Great’
“This is why you’ve got to respect Alexander Volkanovski,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Because that’s the fight he’s calling for. He’s not looking for easy matchups. He wants to be active. He wants to get back in there. And he wants to capitalize on being the champion, earn as much money as possible, and fight again before he gets too much older. But most importantly, he wants the toughest fight. And Movsar Evloev is not an easy fight for anyone. Nobody has beaten him. And that’s the fight calling for Volkanovski. That right there is what you call a champion. Nothing but respect.”
Records do speak when it comes to Alexander Volkanovski. The featherweight fighter has 27 victories to his name and only 4 defeats. With a finishing ratio of 57%, ‘The Great’ is ruling the featherweight division; however, will Movsar Evloev be able to take his throne from him? State your opinion in the comments below.
The post Movsar Evloev Loses Huge Advantage as Unexpected Promise Made to Alexander Volkanovski for UFC Title Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.
