Movsar Evloev sees a clear path to a UFC title, and he’s not going to let a pair of legends get in his way.
The undefeated featherweight meets Aljamain Sterling in a pivotal matchup on the preliminary portion of UFC 310 this Saturday in Las Vegas. At media day on Wednesday, Evloev (18-0) was asked if he was concerned about former champion Alexander Volkanovski leapfrogging him in the contender line for a rematch with Ilia Topuria even if Evloev is victorious.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea [for Topuria] to fight with Volkanovski again,” Evloev said. “Volkanovski’s a legend, but he’s done, and Max Holloway also. They have been good fighters for a long time, but time is gone. Fresh blood is here, so let me prove that I’m champion.”
Topuria’s title fight wins have come against Volkanovski and Holloway, two of the best featherweights ever who became perennial fan favorites with their spectacular performances. Since Topuria defeated Holloway in October, no concrete plans have been made for the champion to compete again, though he has campaigned for the UFC to book him for a stadium show in Spain.
Despite Evloev going undefeated in eight UFC fights, he’s yet to inspire the same kind of fervor in the MMA community. He hasn’t defeated an opponent inside the distance since July 2018 at an M-1 Global show, his last fight before signing with the UFC.
So does he feel he needs a finish?
“Everybody talking about finish, finish,” Evloev said. “OK, if you need finish, try to finish me. So I think for this fight, I’ll do something. We are preparing for this almost one year since I won my fight in January and this guy is a good opponent to do what I’m trying to do.”
As much as he feels he’s worthy of a title shot, Evloev prioritizes staying active above all else. Evloev most recently fought this past January at UFC 297, where he defeated Arnold Allen, and his fight with Sterling was pushed back from UFC 307 in October to accommodate Sterling dealing with a lingering injury.
If Evloev has to fight again before taking on Topuria, he’s happy to do it.
“I was waiting for this fight almost a year,” Evloev said. “So if they don’t let me fight for the title, please give me someone in two months after this fight because my time is—I’m already 30 years old, so I need to fight often, because the last couple of years I fight not often, so I need more fights. Your time will go, so it’s good for my career. [Diego Lopes], Volkanovski, Holloway, anyone before they let me fight for the title.”
Evloev also said he wasn’t concerned about his placement on Saturday’s card. Much has been made about the high-level featherweight contest being scheduled for the preliminary card, with Sterling vowing to prove the UFC “messed up big time” by not putting his fight on pay-per-view.
The controversy is lost on Evloev.
“I think we’re on prelims because of him, but I don’t care,” Evloev said. “Same money, nobody care. Maybe even better to stay on prelims for this card because more people will watch our fight. And at the time, people will be able to find out who is the next contender for the bout.”
“I don’t know,” Evloev added. “I don’t think this fight will be boring, because his style and my style, when two wrestlers fight each other, it’s always a good fight.”
Wherever he is on the lineup, Evloev expects his supporters to tune in.
“People confused about this because we’re not on the main card,” Evloev said. “I can understand that, but I don’t really care. This is the same, three rounds, five minutes. Same money. Same guy. When I step in the cage, I see nothing outside, so I’m focused on my opponent. For me, it doesn’t matter.”
“For my people, it’s not a big difference,” he continued. “They will root for me anyway even if I fight on the street.”
