Undefeated featherweight Movsar Evloev will make a return to the cage, but it will not be a title fight.
Since his defeat of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 312, Evloev has sought a title bout, but he has constantly been overlooked. Evloev pushed for the chance to face Alexander Volkanovski–who reclaimed the title– for the featherweight title but was instead replaced with Diego Lopes. Despite being overlooked, he’s still viewed as a formidable opponent, especially by Volkanovski, who pushed for a matchup with Evloev. Although the matchup didn’t work out, Evloev took to social media to thank Volkanovski for considering a fight with him.
“Alexander Volkanovski, thank you champ for trying to fight me,” Evloev wrote on X on Thursday. “I will fight in July and you fight in September. Hopefully, we both win and we can meet in December.”
Evloev seemed like the better option as opposed to Diego Lopes, who was defeated by Evloev in 2023. Despite not getting a shot at the title, Evloev still has his eyes on UFC gold as he revealed plans to compete at the UFC’s upcoming return to Abu Dhabi, which is scheduled for July 26 at Etihad Arena. The fighter disclosed this in a post on Twitter.
“If you are a UFC fighter and believe you are the best in the world, then you have to fight every fight they throw at you. No risk, no reward,” Evloev said. “See you guys in July, it’s ON.”
For now, UFC has yet to officially announce the date of the fight, but it is the targeted date of his return. Although Evloev is more than qualified for a title shot, he has reconciled with the fact that he’s going to have to get at least one more win before getting a chance at UFC gold, while Volkanovski is apparently preparing for a new challenge as well when he returns to action later this year.
