Movsar Evloev would love to know exactly what’s happening in the featherweight division so he could get some clarity on his next fight.
Following an exciting back-and-forth battle with Aljamain Sterling in December that resulted in a ninth straight win in the UFC, Evloev started looking towards an uncertain future when it came to his aspiration of becoming champion in 2025. Reigning featherweight king Ilia Topuria has teased a potential move to lightweight but insists he’s not giving up his title while a proposed rematch against former champion Alexander Volkanovski still lingers in the air.
As much as he would like a title shot sooner rather than later, Evloev isn’t calling for that right now because more than anything he just wants the division to get moving again.
“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.”
While becoming UFC champion is ultimately what matters most to him, Evloev admits that Topuria is the opponent he wants most regardless of the belt.
That’s why he’s prepared to chase Topuria from division to division until he finally gets the chance to face him in the octagon.
“Even if the champion moves up, he will leave the title. I will get the title and then I will follow him,” Evloev said. “Lightweight is not too far for me.
“Even if he moves up, I will take the belt first because this is my first goal. 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 soon, I don’t know when but we’ll see.”
Now make no mistake, Evloev doesn’t see Topuria as an easy fight that won’t present any challenges to him.
In fact, Evloev actually has nothing but praise for Topuria as a potential opponent, especially after he vanquished Volkanovski and Max Holloway by knockout in the past year. While taking away Topuria’s undefeated record would be nice, Evloev really just wants to prove he’s better and that’s why he’s willing to change weight classes if that’s what it takes for the fight to happen.
“He’s a great fighter but he’s not an unbeatable fighter,” Evloev said about Topuria. “I’m that guy who can beat this guy. Just make the fight between me and him and I will prove my words.
“Maybe yeah it will be good for me, for my legacy [to take his undefeated record]. But I’m not thinking about this too much. I just need to beat this guy. Even if he loses at lightweight to someone, still after that I will want to beat this guy.”
Right now, Evloev doesn’t expect that he’ll get his grandest wish for the Topuria fight so he’s keeping his options open as he starts to explore what comes next.
Ideally he would fight before March when Ramadan begins so Evloev is just waiting for a call to give him a date and opponent but he’s also willing to wait for the right opportunity if the UFC has something specific in mind.
“I’m still in shape. I still eat good. I still train everyday,” Evloev said. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m just waiting.
“Like I said, I have enough patience. If they think I will get tired of waiting for them and go somewhere [else], it’s not going to happen. I will wait until they have no choice to give me the title.”
