Tag: Movsar Evloev

Movsar Evloev reacts to Yair Rodriguez’s call for title shot after UFC 314: ‘You have to beat me first’

Movsar Evloev doesn’t think Yair Rodriguez has done enough to deserve a UFC title rematch against Alexander Volkanovski.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] wants his crack at the UFC featherweight title. And if that doesn’t happen, he wants whomever the UFC sees as the No. 1 contender.

Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has campaigned for a title shot for quite some time, but he hasn’t been able to secure it. He’s hoping to be next now that there’s a champion in the division, given that Alexander Volkanovski won the vacant belt this past Saturday in the main event of  UFC 314 in Miami.

However, fan-favorite [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] also wants in, which could be problematic for Evloev’s title dreams.

“Yair, if you want to fight for the title, you have to beat me first, and then you deserve it,” Evloev told MMA Junkie.

Rodriguez called for a rematch with Volkanovski after defeating former Bellator champion Patricio Freire at UFC 314. Evloev said the Mexican had a good showing but still not enough to merit a championship fight as he was coming off two consecutive defeats.

“I think it was the best fight for Yair Rodriguez in forever, and with ‘Pitbull,’ he’s a dangerous opponent, but I don’t think that’s enough to fight for the tile,” Evloev said. “Because he had his chance, and he just skipped it.”

Evloev is training and ready to fight in a UFC championship fight whenever needed. He’s even willing to sit on the sidelines should Volkanovski need more time before a title defense.

“If Volkanovski is looking for the fight with me, I can wait and improve myself and stay ready, improve my skills, everything,” Evloev said. “Even if it’s like September, October, December, it doesn’t matter. I can wait as much as he needs. But if they have another one for the title, I’m not going to wait too much.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

Joe Lopez: Movsar Evloev won’t be able to handle UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski’s strength

Both UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski and his coach are on board with Movsar Evloev getting the next title shot.

Both UFC champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and his coach are on board with [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] getting the next title shot.

Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) reclaimed the featherweight title when he defeated Diego Lopes (27-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in Saturday’s UFC 314 main event at Kaseya Center from Miami.

Volkanovski’s head coach [autotag]Joe Lopez[/autotag] is aware of Evloev’s (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) strong grappling skills, but thinks his star student will be too strong for him.

“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,” Lopez told Submission Radio. “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. Volk just picks things up, if you look at the the beginning of the camp, when we break things down, and we see what each person’s really good at.

“So we’ve got Diego. Diego’s got a pretty good guard. The way he switches from armbars to triangles to sweeps, he’s very good at. He’s got a really good repertoire there, and at the beginning with the guys that we had, Volk was getting stuck in there. (But) by the end of the camp, Volk was not having any problems at all in those positions, and I think that’s what Diego felt when Alex took him down – that it’s not a place he wants to be with Alex on top of him because like I said, Alex’s pressure when he’s on top, he feels like a heavyweight on top of you, and then he just doesn’t hang onto you. He’s just looking to land some bombs or an elbow or something on you. So, you don’t want to be on the bottom when Alex is on top.”

With Volkanovski promising to make a quick turnaround to face Evloev with a win over Lopes, the undefeated contender expects the new champion to live up to his promise.

“Congratulations on an excellent performance, you’re a true champion! Now let’s see what your word is worth! @alexvolkanovski #UFC314.”

[lawrence-related id=2817033,2818019,2817419,2817980]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Alexander Volkanovski down for Yair Rodriguez or Mosvar Evloev after UFC 314 title win

Alexander Volkanovski reflects on his UFC 314 title win against Diego Lopes, and what’s next for his storied MMA career.

MIAMI – [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] wasn’t picky in his first title reign, and he will carry that same energy heading into his second.

Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) won the vacant featherweight title on Saturday night, defeating top contender Diego Lopes (27-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 314, which took place at Kaseya Center.

This victory marks his second title reign, as he was previously UFC featherweight champion from 2019 through early 2024. Volkanovski is happy to be champion once again, but not entirely satisfied with the way he got it done.

“I feel like he was there to be hit. I feel like I could’ve done a lot more,” Volkanovski said at the UFC 314 post-fight press conference. “I just didn’t pull the trigger as much as I’d like – even though there were shots, I just stick out the jab, and it was right there. I could’ve done a lot more, but I’m my hardest critic.

“I’ll watch it back, and then we’ll see, but obviously everyone kind of counting me out, ‘Oh, is he done?’ Obviously I took some shots and I didn’t go lights out. That’s good. A lot of people probably thinking that’s what would’ve happened, so I guess I’m glad I got to feel that bounce back from a little adversity.”

As far as what’s next, Volkanovski acknowledged [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] and [autotag]Yair Rodriguez [/autotag], as the two main candidates to be the next challenger.

“Yair was saying he wants the title shot,” Volkanovski said. “He’s a good dude. I like him a lot. If the UFC want to give it to him, I’m not going to stop that for him, but yeah, if I’d be honest, before that fight, I don’t think he’d be getting the shot. Now that he’s calling it, I’m not going to be the one saying no. I’m going to leave everything to the UFC. Obviously you’ve got Mosvar, he’s undefeated, and I would love to that that zero. We got to see what the UFC says.”

[lawrence-related id=2818038,2817419,2817980]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Now signed to UFC, Aaron Pico reveals just how close he came to fighting Movsar Evloev

Aaron Pico confirmed that he was indeed in talks to face Movsar Evloev in his UFC debut, and it was “pretty close” to coming to fruition.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] confirmed that he was indeed in talks to fight top featherweight contender [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] in his UFC debut.

The former Bellator featherweight got his wish of signing with the UFC after spending months campaigning for a full release from the PFL. Prior to his UFC signing becoming public, Pico was linked to a matchup with Evloev in the UFC Fight Night 256 headliner May 17 at The UFC Apex (ESPN+), which Evloev also hinted at.

Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) addressed those rumors.

“Yeah, it was real,” Pico told MMA Junkie. “I mean, I got a phone call from Ali (Abdelaziz) saying, ‘Hi, can you fight on May 17?’ And I said, ‘Of course.’ And then I just said, ‘Who am I fighting against?’ He said, ‘Movsar.’ And I said, ‘Of course. That’s a great fight for me. I don’t think he knows how good my wrestling is.’ And he said, ‘OK, Movsar agreed, too.’ So, I don’t know. It was pretty close.”

Pico understands why Evloev backed out

The fight with Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) didn’t end up materializing but Pico understands why.

“I was a little bit surprised, but ultimately it’s not happening,” Pico said. “But it was a good sign that they were entertaining the idea of (me) fighting a guy so highly ranked. For him, it was kind of hard because he’s No. 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.”

Pico shifts attention to two top-10 UFC featherweights

Instead, Pico has shifted his focus to two other featherweight contenders he hopes to draw in his octagon debut.

“I’m looking at it like this: I was supposed to fight Movsar. Who is he supposed to fight and who has he fought last?” Pico said. “He fought Aljamain (Sterling) last. Let’s fight Aljamain. I believe he was supposed to fight Brian Ortega, don’t quote me on that, (but) if Brian Ortgea’s ready to go, then let’s fight. That’s how you make money.”

Ortega is No. 6 in the official UFC rankings, while former bantamweight champ Sterling is No. 9 at 145 pounds.

[lawrence-related id=2815141,320389]

Diego Lopes will request Noche UFC rematch vs. Movsar Evloev with UFC 314 title win

Diego Lopes will ask the UFC brass for a rematch with Movsar Evloev in Mexico if he captures featherweight gold at UFC 314.

If [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] captures the vacant featherweight title in the UFC 314 against Alexander Volkanovski, his first order of business will be to address his lone octagon defeat.

Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) enters his first championship opportunity against Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the April 12 headliner at Kaseya Center in Miami (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) on the power of a five-fight winning streak.

All those victories came on the heels of Lopes dropping his promotional debut to [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] by unanimous decision in a fight he took on short notice at UFC 288 in May 2023.

Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) still holds an undefeated record years later and, by merit, is the most deserving next contender for the belt. Lopes intends to give him an overdue crack at gold so he can avenge the loss in his first defense.

“Of course, this fight for me is important because this guy beat me in the past,” Lopes told MMA Junkie on Friday. “But now it’s different. It’s different things. I’m at the top, and this guy, too. Maybe we’ll fight for the title. I’m so excited for the next step, but my focus is on Volkanovski. I win the belt and I will ask the UFC for the fight with Movsar.”

[lawrence-related id=2815614,2808582,2640461]

Not only does Lopes, 33, see Evloev, 30, as an ideal opponent for his first defense, he thinks there’s a perfect timeline for it, as well. Lopes was born in Brazil, but he’s spent the past decade-plus putting down roots in Mexico.

UFC 320 on Sept. 13, also known as Noche UFC, will touch down in Lopes’ residing city of Guadalajara, Mexico. Whether it’s against Evloev or not, he said he will be competing on that card.

“One hundred percent, this is my goal: Win the fight next week and I will ask the UFC for the fight in Guadalajara,” Lopes said. “For me, to defend the title in Guadalajara, Mexico, is special for me, because I’ve lived in Mexico for 10 years. I live in Guadalajara. I have so much people in Guadalajara support me. One hundred percent, I will fight to defend the belt in September.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Movsar Evloev: If Alexander Volkanovski is in half of prime shape, he beats Diego Lopes easily at UFC 314

Movsar Evloev is confident in his prediction for the featherweight title fight at UFC 314.

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] is confident in his prediction for the featherweight title fight at UFC 314.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant 145-pound belt in the April 12 main event at Kaseya Center in Miami.

Volkanovski has been knocked out by Ilia Topuria and UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in his past two fights. But if he can recover and return to the form which saw him defend his featherweight title five times, Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) thinks he beats Lopes handily.

“I think if Volkanovski has 50 percent of his prime shape, he can beat this guy easy,” Evloev told Home of Fight. “I’ll be next for him, and we will see.”

Many people think Evloev was snubbed out of the title picture, but despite holding a recent win over Lopes, the undefeated contender isn’t entirely surprised.

“No, but people who are rooting for the sport, they were waiting for me as a contender for the title,” Evloev said. “But now it’s a little bit of a different time because people need more trash (talk), dirty stuff, some finishes. Even if you lose 10 times but you have finishes, you have more of a chance to get a title shot.”

Volkanovski said he’s willing to make a quick turnaround and offer Evloev a title shot if victorious at UFC 314.

“We’ll see what the UFC will say about me or about his next opponent, but I’m ready,” Evloev said. “I’m ready since I beat (Aljamain Sterling) behind you, and I’m still waiting for a fight or fight news, but nothing yet. Nobody is accepting to fight against me.”

[lawrence-related id=2806891,2808153,2805536,2805531]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

UFC title or not, Movsar Evloev willing to chase Ilia Topuria to lightweight

Fighting Ilia Topuria is not about the UFC title for Movsar Evloev.

Fighting [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] is not about the UFC title for [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag].

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vacated his UFC featherweight belt for a move up to 155 pounds before Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) got his opportunity at a title shot.

Evloev’s goal is to first capture the 145-pound belt, but still wants to face Topuria – even if he has to follow him to lightweight. The pair were booked to fight each other at UFC 270 in January 2022, but Evloev withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19.

“Yeah, I’m making my backpack for 155 (pounds), but first of all, I need this (featherweight) title, and then I’ll go after him,” Evloev told Home of Fight. “Not fighting for the title necessarily, but him.

“He beat almost everyone in the featherweight division, so he’s stronger than everybody here – except me. Me and him, there’s a question between us. I will let people know who is the strongest featherweight, even if we fight at lightweight.”

Topuria’s goal is to immediately challenge UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev upon his arrival to the division. If “El Matador” does get his wish, Evloev doesn’t like his chances.

“Islam for sure, but it’s MMA, everything can happen,” Evloev said. “He has enough power, and if Islam will be ready for the fight, he will definitely beat this guy easy.”

Despite Evloev’s run in the featherweight division, which includes three-straight wins over Deigo Lopes, Arnold Allen and Aljamain Sterling, he won’t be getting a title shot next. Instead, Alexander Volkanovski and Lopes will battle for the vacant featherweight belt in the UFC 314 main event April 12 at Kaseya Center from Miami.

[lawrence-related id=2802592,2807348,2807310,2806748]

UFC champ Ilia Topuria details why Movsar Evloev isn’t a worthy title challenger

Ilia Topuria is not impressed by what he’s seen from undefeated Movsar Evloev in the UFC.

UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] insists [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] is not a worthy title challenger.

Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) remained unbeaten when he outgrappled former champ Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310. While Evloev has certainly amassed a resume that warrants a title shot, Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) thinks his lack of ability to finish fights harms him.

Topuria sees red-hot Diego Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) making more noise than Evloev.

“I think Diego deserves it more because Movsar has more fights in the UFC, but he has eight (nine) decisions, five (one) by split decision. Like, man, you need to finish someone,” Topuria told Fox Sports Australia. “Do something, do something relevant, put yourself in that spot, and why not? We can do it. But if you don’t finish anyone – I fight for the fans.

“I fight to entertain the fans, and I need someone inside the cage to be entertaining. I don’t need someone who’s only looking for a win and grab you and this and that, which he won’t be able to do that with me. I would knock him out in the first round, but I need someone to hype up the fight. I need a good dance partner.”

Topuria wants to move up to lightweight and challenge Islam Makhachev next. But if he remains at featherweight for his next fight, he plans on defending his belt in a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski, who he knocked out at UFC 298 to become champion.

[lawrence-related id=2796390,2718981,2716994]

Movsar Evloev calls bluff on UFC champ Ilia Topuria vacating title

Movsar Evloev is trying to stay patient in his pursuit of UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] is trying to stay patient in his pursuit of UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) remained unbeaten when he edged out former champ Aljamain Sterling this past December at UFC 310. But with Topuria recently hinting that he may vacate his title, top contender Evloev is left in a quandary.

“To be honest, it’s not easy to even understand what’s going on,” Evloev told MMA Fighting. “Because Max (Holloway) said he will not come back to featherweight again. So, Ilia’s talking that he’s moving up also, especially after my fight.

“I don’t know what’s going on. For me, it doesn’t matter who will be my next opponent. Even if the champion moves up, he will leave the title. I will get the title and then I will follow him. Lightweight is not too far for me.”

Evloev is more concerned with becoming champion than fighting Topuria but ultimately thinks their fight takes place at 145 pounds.

“Even if he moves up, I will take the belt first because this is my first goal,” Evloev continued. “So then I will go after him, even if he goes to middleweight. It doesn’t matter. He’s not a big guy. I don’t need to cut the weight to beat this guy.

“I need his head on my list. Belt is first, but I don’t think that he will leave the title. He’s not going to go to lightweight. He will defend his belt again soon. I don’t know when, but we’ll see.”

Like Evloev, no one has been able to solve the puzzle against Topuria. The 30-year-old is confident that he has the skillset to both dethrone Topuria and hand him his first loss.

“He’s a great fighter, but he’s not an unbeatable fighter,” Evloev said of Topuria. “I’m that guy who can beat this guy. Just make the fight between me and him, and I will prove my words.”

[lawrence-related id=2794036,2792138,2791522]

UFC’s Movsar Evloev pleads for quick turnaround before Ramadan

Movsar Evloev will fight any UFC featherweight if it means the chance to push his record to 20-0 before a break for Ramadan.

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] is looking to stay busy after adding to his unbeaten record at UFC 310.

Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) is coming off a unanimous decision win over former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling earlier this month. Evloev thinks he’s done enough to warrant a title shot, but if that’s not next for champ Ilia Topuria, he’s hoping to jump right back into action.

With Ramadan scheduled to begin on the last day of February or the first day of March, Evloev is looking to book a fight before then.

“I’m good, feel amazing,” Evloev told TMZ. “Still waiting for news for the next fight, but not yet. Nothing yet so, maybe next week they’ll make something for me because I need fight before Ramadan. We have January and February, so we’ll see.”

Activity hasn’t always been on Evloev’s side. He competed just once in 2022 and 2023, and almost fought once again this year before getting a second against Sterling on the final pay-per-view of the year.

Evloev, who now holds wins over the likes of Sterling, Arnold Allen, and Diego Lopes, doesn’t have a particular opponent in mind. He’s not concerned with rankings.

“There is only couple of names if it’s not title shot,” Evloev said. “So, doesn’t matter.”

UFC featherweight champion Topuria recently teased a potential move to lightweight. But if he remains at 145 pounds, Evloev doesn’t think he’ll be next in line.

“If he’ll stay at featherweight, I’m pretty sure that they will make him and (Alexander Volkanovski) again,” Evloev said. “But his coach or him said that he’s moving up. I don’t know. I don’t care, to be honest. Just give me my title.”

[lawrence-related id=2792138,2791522]