Undefeated UFC featherweight Movsar Evloev wants to set the record straight.
Evloev is set to meet former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City. Ahead of the bout — which has been somewhat heated in the build — Sterling accused Evloev of using performance-enhancing drugs on his YouTube channel, and also wrote on Twitter than he’s “99 percent” sure of it.
Nothing worse than cheaters in this sport! I’ve fought cheaters before and won, because I believe in my skillset. I never had anything to hide then and I have nothing to hide now https://t.co/npjVbSK9p2
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) August 23, 2024
•#TheWeeklyScraps pic.twitter.com/DeUkknbg5M
Then you must be new to me. I call out a lot of these guys that have popped for stuff. I’m 99% sure Movsar has taken shit and possibly still does. But it’s never stopped me from beating cheaters before. Hardwork and skillset. https://t.co/VJXfU8qT4c
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) August 23, 2024
“Oh, brother, I was waiting for him [for a] long time since he win his last fight, but he had no choice [but] to take this fight,” Evloev told MMA Fighting in response to the accusation. “That’s why he’s fighting me. And, yeah, he does something with the comments, and he talk, I don’t know what the point of this but I don’t care. We have doping control here, and I’m always clean, you know.
“I’m happy being in UFC because I know he’s there is good doping control, and I can be confident to know that my opponent also does a doping test. So it’s like, if you talk without proof, where I from, just like some girl stuff. Men don’t talk like that, and yeah, I can’t wait to beat his ass. And [at UFC 307], we’ll see. The cage will be closed and he will answer about his words.
“Everybody thinks that I’m using something because I’m strong, I breathe good, and I’m never tired,” Evloev continued. “I’m clean. I’m clean, 100 percent. I eat good, I sleep good, I train hard, everything to be strong as I am now. If you’re lazy, you can’t talk like that.
“I don’t know, I don’t use alcohol, I don’t smoke, I eat clean, I do [the] right things, I train hard. That’s why I’m in shape, always. Even if I do not train for months, I’m still athletic.”
Sterling made his featherweight debut at UFC 300 when he earned a lopsided decision victory against Calvin Kattar in April. From there, Evloev called for the matchup, and now it’s set for the promotion’s return to Utah.
Evloev also has a victory in 2024, defeating Arnold Allen via unanimous decision at UFC 297 in January. The 30-year-old is happy to have a respectful build to a fight, but seems quite satisfied using Sterling’s accusations as bulletin board material.
“Let him talk,” Evloev explained. “Let him talk now. We’ll fight, and after the fight, I will talk. He don’t hurt me with his words. I know the truth and I don’t care about what people say. It’s like some kind of compliment from him. Like, ‘Oh, he’s using something,’ but he has no proof, and just maybe he sees how good I am, like, how good [my shape is].
“That’s why he don’t believe that people can work hard, and that’s why he thinks like, ‘Oh, maybe he using something.’”
Evloev is 8-0 inside the octagon, which also includes victories over Diego Lopes and Dan Ige.
When asked to send a final message to Sterling ahead of the matchup, Evloev sounds content to let his fists do the talking.
“Whatever I say, it’s not going to help him,” Evloev said.
