Movsar Evloev: How he can win back UFC title fight after first career loss

Movsar Evloev’s 20-fight winning streak came to an end at the hands of Alexander Volkanovski at 4:54 of the second round of UFC 333 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi.

Who Makes Sense as Evloev’s Next Opponent?

The fastest way back is to fight a ranked fighter that can move the needle. There are 3 obvious choices.The first is a rematch with Lerone Murphy, who Evloev defeated back in March at UFC London by majority decision. The scorecards were close in Murphy’s camp, and Evloev lost a point for low strikes, making that fight contentious. This would give Evloev the opportunity to settle the score and score a more emphatic win in a rematch.

The other is featherweight  Jean Silva, No. 5, who has won his last two fights and said he wants the title. 

Third, Aljamain Sterling’s November 21 win over Kevin Vallejos at UFC Qatar. Sterling lost to Evloev at UFC 310 by unanimous decision, so a win for Sterling would set up a rematch with the man he beat. Vallejos would give him a fresh, promising name.

It’s all about timing. Volkanovski has even talked up a retirement superfight with lightweight king Justin Gaethje, meaning the featherweight title could be up for grabs sooner rather than later. Evloev is in the race straight away if he can win big before that. 

Does Evloev Need to Finish His Next Fight?

That is the unpleasant truth. Before Volkanovski, all of Evloev’s UFC wins came by decision. After a loss, a clean decision win even now won't be enough to move up the queue. UFC loves to see fights end.

Volkanovski had plenty of respect for Evloev after the fight. He said Evloev could have beaten anyone else in the division, which says a lot coming from the champion himself. Even though Volkanovski got the win, Evloev clearly gave him a tough fight, especially in the opening round.

The good news is he's gotten a lot better at hitting. He displayed it against Murphy, and for short spells against Volkanovski, who had to wait until the end of the second round to beat him. The ground is where the focus now must be. Evloev is a good wrestler but rarely uses his dominance to force a stoppage through submission or constant ground and pound.

If he could get one or two knockouts or submissions that made the highlight reel, it would change the story of his career hugely. Until then he’s a gifted competitor looking for a way to make a name for himself. If he gets the right matchup and finishes, he can be next in line to challenge.