A featherweight fighter has peaked the interest of Movsar Evloev.
road to gold
The No. 5 ranked contender in the UFC isn't far off from competing for a world title. Russia's Evloev has a perfect record of 18-0, with six of those wins coming inside the Octagon. Still, all of Evloev's UFC wins came by decision rather than a decisive finish, so he has yet to reap the rewards of his championship.
Evloev has not fought since defeating top contender Arnold Allen on the scorecards of UFC 297. Although he could have had a shot at the title there, the undefeated Russian believes he has found a worthy opponent who is undeniable in that conversation: Aljamain Sterling.
The former UFC bantamweight champion made a first impression at 145 pounds with a dominant win over Calvin Cathal last weekend. Sterling had a somewhat lackluster appearance at UFC 300, but he put in an impressive performance en route to victory.
how it all started
When asked about his next fight at featherweight, Sterling said he would like to face former title challenger Brian Ortega, but on the possibility of a split with Evloev, “The Funk Master” said:
“It's not that the fight with Mohsah isn't interesting,” Sterling said on The MMA Hour. “I think the way the two grapplers grapple together can make for some really fun scrambles, especially against Arnold Allen. There was some fun scrambling there as Arnold tried to break free and do something. It creates opportunities, right? When you have a style like mine or him, I think it's going to be a fun match, just like Diego Lopez had a fun match.”
“Ready” by Evloev “Funk Master”
Evloev was already intrigued by Sterling's featherweight debut, but now he has his full attention.
“BI admire Sterling for talking about me,” Evloev wrote about Sterling in X. “I like it! Call the UFC and fight me. I'm ready.”
@funkmasterMMA It's brave of you to talk about me. I like that! Call the UFC and fight me. I'm ready.
— Movsar Evloev (@MovsarUFC) April 21, 2024
With wins over Dan Ige, Diego Lopez, and Arnold Allen, former UFC titleholders like Aljamain Sterling become the biggest and most proven names on Mokhsar Evloev's resume to date. It is no exaggeration to say so.
