#5 ranked bantamweight fighter Movsar Evloev’s win over former champ Aljamain Sterling has solidified his status as a top contender in the division. But even with former champions like Khabib Nurmagomedov backing him to fight for the title, Evloev isn’t one to sit back and wait for opportunities to come his way.
During the post-fight presser, the surging featherweight made it clear: He believes he is warranted a title shot but if the UFC doesn’t hand him one, he doesn’t want to wait another year for a fight. He will take on anyone and keep building his resume.
“So just two months maybe, if he (White) is thinking I do not deserve a title shot, just give me another fight. I will keep winning even to 100-0 and maybe then they will think about title shot for me.”
View this post on Instagram
Evloev also went on to add that he has a lot of respect for the featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria and praised his all-round game. However, despite admitting Topuria has good wrestling and striking, Evloev believes he is the man to dethrone the champion.
It’s true. If tonight’s win meant anything, it’s that Evloev can stand toe to toe with a world champion and put them through the ringer.
A closer look at Evloev vs Sterling
The grappling-heavy battle showcased both fighters’ skills, but Evloev’s reversals, ground control, and superior strength ultimately tipped the scales in his favor. While Sterling managed multiple takedowns, Evloev consistently stayed out of trouble, reversed positions, and landed effective strikes from the top.
The fight was a back-and-forth scramble, with both featherweights exchanging positions and strikes, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats. Sterling used his experience to try and control the fight. He got into good positions and paced the fight according to his will but Evloev just moved too much to allow him to ever truly settle.
By the end of the third round, Evloev’s ability to overpower Sterling and land critical punches solidified the 29-28 scorecards in his favor, moving his record to an impressive 19-0.
Despite having just moved to featherweight, Sterling already had a reputation for being unusually strong; so to overwhelm him with sheer power and positioning is a rather commendable achievement. And Evloev kept doing it with ease throughout the three rounds they battled it out for.
Despite his win, Evloev wasn’t entirely satisfied, calling it “not the best performance”, and complimented Sterling’s wrestling abilities.
