Tag: Movsar Evloev

Diego Lopes declines Movsar Evloev’s request to step in on short notice at UFC 307: ‘You had your chance’

Movsar Evloev calls for Diego Lopes to step in on short notice at UFC 307, and Lopes declines.

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] quickly shut down [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]’s call for a short-notice fight.

Evloev was scheduled to fight former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 307, which takes place on Oct. 5 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, but was left without an opponent Wednesday after Sterling revealed he was out of the fight due to injury. Hoping to stay on the card, Evloev called for Lopes to step in on short notice.

“Hey, if you wanna defend your honor, you have 2.5 weeks to try and get this loss off your record,” Evloev wrote to Lopes on X (formerly Twitter).

To which Lopes quickly replied,

“You had your chance a few months ago when I called you to fight,” Lopes wrote. “Now you sit back and watch as the bus leaves you waiting.”

Lopes fought this past weekend on the main card of UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. He defeated former title challenger Brian Ortega in a dominant unanimous decision, which put him on a five-fight winning streak.

Lopes’ last defeat came against Evloev back in 2023, in a fight he took on short notice the week of the event. The decision loss to Evloev, which won Fight of the Night honors, marked Lopes’ UFC debut.

Evloev is undefeated in his MMA career. His last win came in January when he outpointed fellow top contender Arnold Allen.

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Aljamain Sterling out of UFC 307 vs. Movsar Evloev due to injury

UFC 307 has taken a blow as Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev is off the upcoming card in Salt Lake City.

An impactful featherweight fight is no longer on the upcoming UFC schedule.

Former bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] announced Wednesday he’s withdrawing from his bout vs. [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] due to an injury. The three-round fight was expected to take place Oct. 5 at UFC 307 from Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

“Unfortunately I have to break the news I will not be competing in Salt Lake City at UFC 307,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “In sparring, I had an injury, not requiring surgery, but I was advised by the UFC medical staff that I will not be able to properly compete in this short of a turnaround.”

With Sterling (24-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) out, it’s unclear if Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will remain on the card. While he did not specify the injury, he shared a clip of himself from training where sparring partner Jeremy Kennedy appeared to tweak his arm with a kimura attempt from the bottom.

“I apologize to Movsar and his team because, of course, we’ve both been talking, and I was really looking forward to punching this guy in his face,” Sterling said. “So, Movsar, if you still really want to punch this handsome face, I put the challenge out to you to push the fight back and wait for Daddy. I will be back soon. We could possibly do this in December.”

With the change, the UFC 307 fight card includes:

  • Champion Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree – for light heavyweight title
  • Champion Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Movsar Evloev vs. TBA
  • Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
  • Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland
  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Iasmin Lucindo vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieira
  • Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ryan Spann
  • Court McGee vs. Tim Means

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Aljamain Sterling accuses UFC 307 opponent Movsar Evloev of using PEDs: ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire’

“Do I have any hard evidence? Like, did I see the guy stick a needle up his ass? No.” But that didn’t stop Aljamain Sterling from speaking out.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] believes [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] is using performance-enhancing drugs.

Sterling (24-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) meets Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in a pivotal featherweight matchup Oct. 5 at UFC 307 from Delta Center in Salt Lake City (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Sterling thinks Evloev isn’t a clean athlete, which previously prompted a back-and-forth between them on social media. Although Evloev never has tested positive for a banned substance, Sterling is convinced that he’s cheating.

”From what I’ve heard through the grapevine, he’s not a clean athlete,” Sterling said in an interview with “Home of Fight.” “People can say whatever, ‘You have no proof.’ I’m like, ‘Dude, same thing people were saying about T.J. Dillashaw from years ago and teaching people how to do it.’ Cody Garbrandt calling him out at the press conference and everyone sweeping it under the rug, telling T.J. direct to his face that you taught everyone at the gym how to do it.

‘Those conversations are not very different from what I’ve had about Movsar, and I think where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Do I have any hard evidence? Like, did I see the guy stick a needle up his ass? No. Did he pop for anything yet? No, maybe he never will. But at the end of the day, only him and his consciousness will know if he’s truly a clean athlete or not. I truly do believe he knows he’s cheating.”

In a battle of two of the most elite grapplers at featherweight, Sterling gives himself the advantage over Evloev standing and on the ground.

“I think I’m going to beat that ass no matter where it goes,” Sterling said. “That’s just my humble opinion and may the best man win.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC 307 adds Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling in crucial featherweight bout

This is a big fight in the UFC featherweight division that could have title implications.

A big one in the UFC’s 145-pound division is set for Oct. 5.

At an event expected to be UFC 307, former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] continues his featherweight quest against top contender [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]. While the event has not yet been announced, it’s expected to take place in Salt Lake City.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Sterling (24-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) and Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) have gone back-and-forth in recent weeks. Both expressed interest in the fight, but a date was debated. Now, it seems they’ve found common ground.

Sterling lost the promotion’s bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley by TKO in August 2023 after three title defenses as champion. He moved to featherweight and debuted at UFC 300, when he defeated Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision.

Evloev enters the fight undefeated, with his three most recent wins against Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes, and Dan Ige. A former M-1 champion, Evloev has won all eight of his UFC fights by decision.

No other bouts have been announced or reported for UFC 307 at this time.

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UFC’s Diego Lopes not interested in Movsar Evloev rematch next: ‘I deserve something bigger’

Diego Lopes finds himself in a much more advantageous position and doesn’t consider Movsar Evloev the right opponent for him next.

The tables have turned. At least that’s how [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] sees his ongoing feud with fellow UFC contender [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag].

Lopes, who lost to Evloev in his short-notice UFC debut back in 2023, had long been asking for a rematch with the Russian fighter. However, there was little attention or mind to the callout by Evloev. Now, a year later, Lopes is in a much more different position and finds himself getting called out by Evloev – something he doesn’t want to entertain for the time being.

“I think at this time, what can I tell you, I think we basically have a top-five fight guaranteed, so for the moment, fighting him is not in my plans,” Lopes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “If he just happens to be the last option, OK, then we take it – no problem. But from what we’ve discussed with my team and the UFC, we’re looking at a completely different fight.”

Lopes is coming off a unanimous decision win over Dan Ige in a fight he accepted on four hours’ notice in one of the wildest moments in modern UFC history. This victory capped a 4-0 run that’s turned Lopes into a contender at 145 pounds and one of the most beloved fighters in the promotion.

Lopes (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) finds it funny how the dynamic with Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) changed so drastically.

“Now he’s saying that he wants to give me the rematch in the Sphere and all that. Now he wants it,” Lopes said. “He took three months to respond to me when I was calling him out to fight exactly on that International Fight Week card, this last event.

“So now that he knows we’re in a good position, he knows a lot of good has come my way, now he wants to take advantage of this moment to call me out and say he’ll give me the rematch. We have completely different plans, and a rematch with him is not in them. I think with everything that we’ve done, I deserve something bigger than a rematch with Movsar.”

This is not to say that Lopes won’t fight Evloev eventually. Lopes is targeting a return on Noche UFC at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14 against Brian Ortega or Alexander Volkanovski for the time being, but he’s unsure of what the future will bring beyond that.

“Definitely in the future we’ll meet again, but for the meantime he should stay hidden in the mountains like he did for the last three months,” Lopes said.

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Diego Lopes, Movsar Evloev trade barbs after UFC 303: ‘Sit back and watch the big guys do the work’

UFC featherweights Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev have reignited their rivalry.

UFC featherweights [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] and [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] have reignited their rivalry.

After a whirlwind of a week, Lopes (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) defeated four-hour notice replacement Dan Ige in this past Saturday’s UFC 303 co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ige replaced Brian Ortega, who fell ill on the night of the fight.

Lopes expressed interest in a rematch with Evloev after his UFC 300 win over Sodiq Yusuff. Now Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is willing to grant his wish, vowing to finish him if they rematch.

“Hey @Diegolopesmma, I wanna give you a rematch at the Sphere because @funkmasterMMA is running for his life, and this time I’m gonna finish you.”

Lopes called for his fight with Ortega to be rebooked for UFC 306 at the Sphere. He appears to have moved on from Evloev.

“Have you finally realized that the way the UFC pays attention to you is by mentioning my name? Or are you afraid that tomorrow morning I’ll be in your place in the rankings? It took you 3 months to get back to me. Sit back and watch the big guys do the work.”

Evloev wasn’t impressed with Lopes’ performance against Ige, who was able to rally late. After two strong rounds, Lopes appeared to slow down in Round 3.

“Diego you lost six times, you’ve been knocked out by two guys, bums. Dan Ige took a fight on 4 hours notice and In the third round he exposed you. Don’t talk too much you trash!”

Since Evloev defeated Lopes at UFC 288, he picked up another decision win over Arnold Allen at UFC 297. Meanwhile, Lopes has fought four times since making his debut on short notice against Evloev. Lopes fired back at Evloev for his lack of activity.

“On Saturday night, Dan and I did something you would never do in your life. You’ve only had one fight in 13 months. You have no right to anything. First you seek to finish someone, or at least try to get a submission. 🤫.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Jon Anik wants to see Brian Ortega face Movsar Evloev in five-round title eliminator

Jon Anik thinks Brian Ortega should take on one more top contender before getting a title shot.

[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] should take on one more top contender before getting a title shot.

Ortega (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) avenged his loss to Yair Rodriguez (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) by submitting him this past Saturday in Mexico City.

With undefeated [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) putting together an impressive run in the octagon, the UFC play-by-play commentator would like to see Ortega go up against Evloev in a No. 1 contender bout.

“Perhaps Brian Ortega will be next. I would like to see Brian Ortega fight Movsar Evloev,” Anik said on his “Anik & Florian” podcast. “I think that is the fight to make as a five-round main event, as a championship title eliminator.”

Anik says that will depend on what’s next for newly crowned featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, who knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to capture the title. Volkanovski is keen to get an immediate rematch, but Anik thinks Ortega may have slid himself into the title picture with his impressive finish of Rodriguez.

“I think a lot of the questions have to do with the calendar and getting a venue in Spain and Alexander Volkanovski’s desire to take some time off or turn around quickly,” Anik said.

“(It’s) not out of the realm of possibility that on the strength of this win (over Rodriguez), that Brian Ortega has set up a date with Ilia Topuria for the undisputed UFC featherweight title.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

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 …