Movsar Evloev is gaining more confidence with his striking after UFC Fight Night 270.
Evloev (20-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC) didn’t lean too much on his wrestling when he defeated Lerone Murphy by majority decision Saturday at The O2 in London. He overcame a point deduction after two accidental low blows.
Advertisement
The undefeated featherweight contender called for a title shot after a resume that includes wins over Diego Lopes, Arnold Allen, Aljamain Sterling, and Murphy.
“Saturday night, I had so much fun inside the Octagon, and I felt absolutely no pressure. It wasn’t easy getting there, but once I stepped inside, I felt like a kid in the park. I want to thank the UFC for giving me the opportunity to headline in such a big arena, and I can’t wait to do it again Thank you @danawhite @seanshelby mr. Hunter Campbell @ufc.”
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) welcomes Evloev’s ground game, and dares him to try and get him there.
“I felt like he didn’t want to push the wrestling, he wanted to stand up and maybe prove himself on the feet,” Volkanovski said on the UFC on Paramount+ post show. “I don’t know if that was to prove it to himself or everyone that he can stand or whether he maybe felt forced, but I don’t want any excuses when we fight. I want him to try everything he can. I want him to try to take me down because I won’t let it happen, and he’ll be forced to fight on the feet because of my takedown defense.”
Advertisement
Evloev responded to Volkanovski’s comments.
“@alexvolkanovski I’ll listen to your interview, and one thing about me, I’ll never make excuses. I truly don’t believe I need wrestling to beat you. You’re a great champion, and I respect you, but it would be something special to take your throne. Big respect see you soon.”
Evloev took notice of the likes of Sterling disagreeing with the judges’ scorecards.
“This is for all my haters. A couple of the opponents I beat had a lot to say about me, and they weren’t very nice. A couple of the others were respectful. Either way, love me or hate me, I’m going to be a champion, and you will not. I’m only focused on winners. Losers stay focused on winners, and you already lost.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Movsar Evloev makes bold claim about Alexander Volkanovski matchup
