Movsar Evloev has done everything right. Undefeated, nine wins in the UFC. Dominant performances but still no title shot and it seems he won’t be getting one anytime soon.
Instead of fighting for UFC gold, Evloev will be facing Aaron Pico in July at UFC Abu Dhabi — a fun matchup, sure, but nowhere near the stakes he’s earned. Meanwhile, it looks like Yair Rodriguez — who’s 1-2 in his last three — could be next in line to fight Alexander Volkanovski. Makes no sense if you’re thinking in terms of merit. However, if you’re thinking like the UFC, it makes perfect business sense.
In a recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, the retired UFC veteran Matt Brown didn’t exactly say it was fair — but he did say it was reality.
“You have to decide what you’re watching — is it entertainment, or is it a real sport?” Brown said. “Because the UFC isn’t built like a sport. There are no third-party rankings. No mandatory challengers. They got rid of tournaments ages ago. They’re selling entertainment packaged as sport.”
Brown pointed out, most casual fans couldn’t even pick him out of a lineup. This means regardless of his consistency, he’s not a popular face yet
“Go to a bar and ask someone about Movsar Evloev — they’re not gonna know who the hell you’re talking about,” Brown said. “Put him on a pay-per-view card, even as a co-main, and most people won’t care. That’s just how it is.”
That’s the harsh part of the UFC model — it rewards star power over skill. Evloev is in that Belal Muhammad, Magomed Ankalaev tier of fighters: talented, consistent, but not loud enough to sell tickets on name alone. Guys like that always have to do more — and even then, it’s no guarantee.
Brown kept it blunt. “Movsar’s not trying to be Sean O’Malley. He’s not sitting around cutting clips on CapCut, he’s out there fighting like a warrior,” he said. “But that doesn’t move the needle in this business. You’ve got to be more than just good.”
It’s not personal, it’s business. Of course, none of this is new. Deserving contenders get passed over all the time. But Brown says that’s exactly the point: this is the system, and unless the whole structure of MMA changes, nothing will be different.
“The UFC holds all the cards,” Brown said. “And unless you’re trying to change the whole game — and I mean really get into lawsuits, restructure the whole sport kind of change — this is what you get.”
For now, the UFC doesn’t feel Evloev is marketable enough. He might be the future of the featherweight division, but until the fans start chanting his name or tuning in just to see him fight, that title shot remains out of reach.
It’s a cold reality. But in the UFC it’s just business as usual.
