Tag: Movsar Evloev

UFC champ Ilia Topuria responds to Movsar Evloev’s callout: ‘He needs to finish someone’

Ilia Topuria is not sold on Movsar Evloev being his first title defense.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] is not sold on [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] being his first title defense.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) knocked out Alexander Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) to claim the featherweight title in Saturday’s UFC 298 main event at Honda Center. Evloev, who’s coming off a win over Arnold Allen, called out Topuria after the fight.

“My congratulations to the new champion. I’m coming for you and taking that belt from you #UFC298.”

While he didn’t entirely dismiss Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) as a challenger, Topuria just hasn’t been impressed with his resume. Like Topuria, Evloev is undefeated, but his 8-0 run in the octagon has all come by decision.

“Movsar’s a good fight for me. I would love to fight him,” Topuria told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC 298. “But the guy has eight fights in the UFC: eight decisions, zero submissions, zero knockouts. … Man, come on. He needs to finish someone.

“Maybe they can find someone from his home town. Maybe he can fight with his dad or something and finish him. But he needs to finish someone because the record he has right now – yeah, it seems nice: He’s undefeated. But the guy didn’t finish anyone, So he needs to do something.”

Prior to fighting Volkanovski, Topuria dismissed Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, and Brian Ortega as potential title challengers. He echoed that sentiment post fight.

“All of them, they don’t make any sense for me right now,” Topuria said. “I need new challengers – new ones. There are some upcoming fights, and we’ll see how they’re going to play out. You’re going to see ‘El Matador’ for a while.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Arnold Allen opens up on UFC 297 loss to Movsar Evloev: ‘I just felt like I deserved to win that’

A frustrated Arnold Allen thinks he should have gotten his hand raised against Movsar Evloev.

A frustrated [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] thinks he should have gotten his hand raised against [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag].

Allen (19-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to undefeated Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) on the main card of UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

All three judges awarded Evloev Rounds 1 and 2, but Allen disagrees.

“Everyone’s saying (I won) Round 1 and Round 3. I agree,” Allen said on his YouTube channel. “That’s what I felt, too. I felt after Round 1, I was like, ‘Yup, won that one.’ Round 2, no I f*cked that one up. And Round 3, that was mine. Very, very, very, very, very frustrating. Not the way I wanted to start things off (in 2024). … I just felt like I deserved to win that.

“I don’t want to be b*tching and moaning or anything like that. No ill will against his team or the opponent. I watched it back a few times. I wanted to watch it back before I gave a video saying how I felt. I didn’t want to be like, ‘I felt like I got 1 and 3’ just on the base that everyone else said it, and that’s what I felt immediately after.”

In Round 3, Allen had Evloev in a front headlock and landed three consecutive knees. As the knees landed, Evloev was elevating his left hand up and down the canvas. Referee Marc Goddard deemed the knees illegal and called timeout. Allen wasn’t deducted a point but he thought the knees he landed, which split Evloev open, were legal.

“Caught a head-and-arm with about three minutes left in the round, I fired off some knees, and in the moment I believe they were legal,” Allen said. “I asked the rules backstage, and there was nothing to clarify. Mark Goddard is getting a lot of flack for his call, but when he came in and said he was reffing, me, my coach and my manager were very happy, and I still think he’s one of the best refs out there. I believe he made a mistake, and you know, it’s a tough one. … I do feel I was on to a sequence where I was about to set up a finish.

“My opponent was really hurt. The way he sat down, the way he was reacting from the knees. His hand was off even with the rule. Every knee that landed his hand was in the air. I lifted him up, knee, I lifted him up, knee, I lifted him up, knee. Even with that hand down, hand up rule, they were all legal. Then also its palm on the ground, a weight-bearing palm, not fingertips. So at minimum, it was fingertips when I lifted him up, and it wasn’t weight-bearing. It was just poking the floor, poking the floor. I do believe I would have set up a finish from there.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC 297: Is UFC relieved to see Sean Strickland’s title reign end?

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 297, including whether Sean Strickland being dethroned is a relief to the UFC brass.

What mattered most at UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto? Here are a few post-fight musings …

Dana White discusses Raquel Pennington’s title win, other UFC 297 performances, UFC Saudi Arabia rumors, more

Dana White speaks to the media about various topics following Saturday’s UFC 297.

TORONTO – The first UFC pay-per-view of 2024 is in the books, and CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] sat with the media to react to the event, as well as other things going on in the promotion.

White spoke to the media Saturday after UFC 297 about [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]’s win over Arnold Allen; why the date for UFC Saudi Arabia moved; what’s next for [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] after winning the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title; and much more.

Below, you can find a transcription of White’s comments from the UFC 297 post-fight press conference.

Unbeaten Movsar Evloev confident UFC 297 win over Arnold Allen secured him a featherweight title shot

Movsar Evloev believes he’s done enough to get the next title shot at featherweight.

TORONTO – [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] thinks he’s done enough to fight for the UFC featherweight title.

The unbeaten contender picked up another UFC win Saturday when he beat Arnold Allen (19-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) with a unanimous decision on the main card of UFC 297. Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), now with eight consecutive wins in the division, is confident he’s up next.

“It’s not about finishing somebody or something else,” Evloev said at his UFC 297 post-fight news conference. “I’m 18-0 – that’s no joke. Even if I had no finishes, with 15-0 I beat everybody and everyone knows. Because I’m still undefeated, there’s no way they don’t let me go for the title. (But) if I need to beat somebody else, just give it to me.”

The featherweight title is up for grabs next month at UFC 298 when champion Alexander Volkanovski attempts to defend his belt a sixth time. He takes on undefeated contender Ilia Topuria, whom Evloev has history with. They were booked to fight in the past, but Evloev had to withdraw from the fight.

Evloev doesn’t care whom he fights. He does think it’s going to be Volkanovski, but wouldn’t mind it being Topuria.

“He’s still tough, and it’s not about Ilia – he’s still tough, too,” Evloev said when asked for his prediction of Volkanovski vs. Topuria. “He’s undefeated. Of course (Topuria) has a chance for victory, but my favorite is still Alex. But for me, maybe it’s better for Ilia to win because we have a backstory and for me, it’s good to take a title shot and fight him for once.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

UFC 297 post-event facts: Dricus Du Plessis, Raquel Pennington make history in title wins

The best facts to come out of UFC 297, which saw two new champions crowned with historic achievements attached to both new reigns.

The UFC’s first pay-per-view of the year is likely to prove to be far from the most memorable, but UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto did prove significant with two new champions crowned.

In the main event, [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) edged [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) by split decision in the Fight of the Night to claim the middleweight championship. In the co-headliner, [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 13-5 UFC) outlasted [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] (10-3-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) for a unanimous decision for the vacant women’s bantamweight title.

For more on the numbers behind the title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts for UFC 297.

UFC 297 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Sean Strickland’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 297 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $285,500.

TORONTO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 297 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $285,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 297 took place at Scotiabank Arena in Canada. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 297 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Mike Malott[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ramon Taveras[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Serhiy Sidey[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Sam Patterson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yohan Lainesse[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $445,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,152,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

UFC 297 results: Movsar Evloev outgrapples Arnold Allen, overcomes trifecta of knees ruled illegal

An important featherweight bout kicked off the UFC 297 main card – and it was a close one.

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] kept rolling Saturday when he defeated arguably his toughest test to date in [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag].

The featherweight bout kicked off the UFC 297 main card at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) won a closely contested decision unanimously (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

When the dust settled and it was time for the decision, both men sported damage on their faces.

After a close first round, Allen (19-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) sustained left eye swelling as the result of a staggering Evloev combination in Round 2. The set of blows had him rattled internally, but he regained himself well on the stool.

In Round 3, Allen came out like a man on a mission. He stalked Evloev with a sense of urgency and threw with semi-reckless abandon. He stuffed many of Evloev’s wrestling attempts throughout the fight, particularly in Round 3.

A frequently used defensive mechanism was a choke attempt. In one pivotal sequence, Allen grabbed a front headlock of Evloev and landed a trio of knees. As the knees landed, Evloev’s left hand continually elevated off, then returned to, the canvas.

Referee Marc Goddard ruled the knees illegal and called timeout. The skin of Evloev’s head was shredded as a result of the blows, but he was deemed good enough to continue. Goddard gave Allen a stern warning and the action continued. Allen continued his pressure attack, but ultimately was unable to get the finish he sought.

After the win during his in-cage interview, Evloev indicated he thinks a shot vs. the winner of the UFC 298 main event title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski and Illia Topuria is out of the question. Evloev has yet to lose in his professional career and also holds wins against Diego Lopes and Dan Ige among others.

With the defeat, Allen has lost two fights in a row. His previous outing was in April when he lost a hard-fought decision to Max Holloway.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 297 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

UFC 297 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 297 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Toronto.

TORONTO – UFC 297 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

You can hear from all the UFC 297 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

Movsar Evloev def. Arnold Allen at UFC 297: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Movsar Evloev’s unanimous decision win over Arnold Allen at UFC 297 in Toronto.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] at UFC 297 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. (Photos by Dan Hamilton, USA Today Sports)