Alexander Volkanovski, after being away from the Octagon for more than a year, reclaimed the featherweight title in his comeback fight at UFC 314. As soon as he became champion again, several other 145-pound contenders began calling for a title shot.
One of them is undefeated featherweight Movsar Evloev, who called out Volkanovski following UFC 314 and recently shared his strategy to defeat “The Great” in a potential title fight.
Movsar Evloev Reveals Game Plan to Defeat Volkanovski in Potential Showdown
Volkanovski had been out of action since losing his featherweight title to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. In his return, he faced Diego Lopes at UFC 314 for the vacant 145-pound belt, as Topuria had vacated the title and moved up a division.
In a five-round, back-and-forth war, Volkanovski delivered an impressive performance and secured a unanimous decision victory to reclaim the title. Following his win, Yair Rodriguez, Evloev and Jean Silva all called for a shot at the champion.
Speaking to Mike Perry on the “Overdogs” podcast, Evloev was asked about his game plan for a potential fight against Volkanovski. He said his strategy would be to neutralize the Australian by pressing him against the cage to drain his energy, using his wrestling to overpower the champion and finish him on the ground.
“If I face Volkanovski, I’ll just push him to the wall so he can’t run from me. I won’t let him move, and then he’ll have to exchange with me,” Evloev said. “He’ll get tired, or I’ll break him, because I know I have bigger power, better wrestling, and I can control this guy for five rounds or finish him on the ground.”
Alexander Volkanovski Open to Movsar Evloev Clash
At the UFC 314 post-event press conference, Volkanovski addressed Rodriguez’s callout and made it clear he doesn’t believe the Mexican fighter is next in line for a title shot.
“The Great” expressed interest in handing Evloev the first loss of his career, while ultimately leaving the matchmaking decision up to the UFC.
“Yair was saying he wants the title shot. He’s a good dude. I like him a lot. If the UFC wants to give it to him, I’m not going to stop that for him,” Volkanovski said. “But yeah, if I’m being 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 take that zero. We got to see what the UFC says,” Volkanovski added.
Evloev remains undefeated in his professional career and is currently riding a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC, making him a strong frontrunner for the next featherweight title shot.