Alexander Volkanovski Warns Movsar Evloev's 'Get Out of Jail Free Card' Won't Work This Time

UFC 333 heads to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday with a featherweight title fight in the main event. Alexander Volkanovski (28-4) defends his belt against unbeaten No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev (20-0), who has earned all 10 of his UFC victories by decision.

Volkanovski, 38, regained the title by defeating Diego Lopes at UFC 314 and defended it in their Sydney rematch at UFC 325. While Evloev relies heavily on dominant wrestling, including a nine-takedown performance against Lerone Murphy in March, the champion insists he is a stylistic nightmare who will completely shut down the challenger's grappling style.

Alexander Volkanovski Calls Himself a Nightmare Matchup for Movsar Evloev

"The Great" believes the challenger's usual safety net will completely fail him on Saturday night. He recognizes the threat but expects to be the first man to defeat the undefeated contender.

"I think it just doesn't end well for him," Volkanovski said in the recent pre-fight interview. "I don't mean it in any bad way. I just think I'm the guy to take that zero from him. He's got incredible skill. He is very effective with what he does... Every time he's had problems, he could rely on that wrestling and grappling to get him out of trouble. And you've got to respect that skill."

Volkanovski is not dismissing Evloev’s elite wrestling credentials. Instead, he expects to eliminate the 32-year-old’s ability to panic-wrestle or secure desperate takedowns when the striking exchanges get tough on the feet.

"But that doesn't work with me," Volkanovski explained. "That's not a get out of jail free card with me. When you're panicking, when you're freaking out, you don't get to just grab hold of me and hang on to a leg or anything like that... I just think that I'm a bit of a nightmare matchup for him."

Evloev built his undefeated record by defeating Diego Lopes, Arnold Allen, and former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. However, he has never secured a stoppage inside the Octagon. Critics often complain about his decision-heavy style, pointing to the promotion's recent release of undefeated bantamweight Farid Basharat to prove that dominant wrestling without finishes can put a roster spot at risk.

Volkanovski avoids criticizing Evloev's approach but spots a clear weakness in how the challenger handled Lerone Murphy. The champion noticed that Evloev hesitated to wrestle early in that fight.

At the UFC 333 press conference in September, Volkanovski said, "Even if he wants to take it there, I’m keeping it on the feet. He’s going to be forced to fight me … he says, 'I’ll take down 10 times, or 20 times, I’ll just keep taking down.' But trust me: your arms are gonna be burning, I’m gonna be in your face forcing you. You will panic punch, that’s not going to work."

Still, Volkanovski's past decision loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev proves he can struggle against relentless grappling volume. Evloev wants to replicate his performance against Murphy by turning the championship rounds into a grueling wrestling match. A victory will secure Volkanovski his ninth featherweight title-fight win, breaking a historic tie with José Aldo for the divisional record.