“Try and take me down”: Alexander Volkanovski challenges Movsar Evloev ahead of UFC 333

Alexander Volkanovski believes Movsar Evloev will have to fight him on the feet because he is confident in his ability to neutralize Evloev’s wrestling-heavy style at UFC 333.

The two are set to throw down in the main event of UFC 333 this Saturday at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

Alexander Volkanovski explains why Movsar Evloev will be forced to fight on the feet at UFC 333

At the pre-fight press conference of UFC 333,  Volkanovski emphasized that he is expecting the best version of Evloev. He acknowledged the challenger’s ability to control fights on the ground but warned the undefeated contender against making the same mistake he believes he made in his recent fight against Lerone Murphy. He suggested the Russian could have made that fight much easier by using his takedowns earlier.

“He's the best self, you know. I believe that he was trying to keep standing with Lerone. But you could see as soon as he wanted to take it down, he could. I think he could have made that fight look a lot easier. You could see he was the better fighter but I just like I said, just don't try that shit on me. Come bring your best game,” Volkanovski said. 

Volkanovski asserts that he intends to prevent Evloev from establishing his wrestling game. The Australian believes his takedown defense and ability to get back to his feet will force the challenger to rely more heavily on his striking.

“Try and take me down. It's gonna be forced on the feet because I'm gonna make it be on the feet, and that's just a fact,” Volkanovski continued. "You know what? I've worked too hard. There's no way no one can hold me down. Even if you get me down, holding me down is impossible. So we'll be fighting on the feet, and this will be the most dangerous we've ever seen Movsar because he's never been forced to fight on the feet, so he can't panic-shoot. He's gonna have to panic punch. Let's see how dangerous he is on his feet.”

Check out Alexander Volkanovski’s comments below:

Why Movsar Evloev’s approach against Lerone Murphy could backfire against Alexander Volkanovski

In his fight against Murphy in March, Evloev didn’t use his wrestling prowess fully. It looked like he came to prove a point that he can strike with the best featherweights in the division, and in the process, he had to work hard and use his ground game in the later rounds to pull out a majority decision victory.

If Evloev plans to do the same against Volkanovski, he will surely have a long, hard night at UFC 333 and could end up suffering the first defeat of his career, as the featherweight champion has some of the best striking in the UFC.