Andrew Ravens
Movsar Evloev may have just teased a featherweight title fight the UFC has yet to make.
The undefeated contender posted a brief but pointed message to social media: “I am back, end of the summer, and new Inshallah.” The Arabic phrase — meaning “God willing” — paired with talk of a return and something “new” pointed fans squarely toward one conclusion: a UFC featherweight championship shot is on the horizon.
Evloev currently sits at number one in the featherweight rankings and has done everything asked of him. More than two months removed from a majority decision victory over the previously unbeaten Lerone Murphy at UFC London, the 32-year-old Russian has built a case that is difficult to argue against.
His resume includes wins over Murphy, Aljamain Sterling, Diego Lopes, Arnold Allen, and Dan Ige — five of the most credible names the featherweight and bantamweight divisions have to offer. UFC 330 is scheduled for August 15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, currently expected to be headlined by Islam Makhachev‘s first welterweight title defense.
A Volkanovski-Evloev featherweight title fight would slot in naturally as a co-main event or even a second championship bout on what figures to be a major card. UFC Fight Night Shanghai on August 29 represents the other option, with the UFC returning to China for the second consecutive year.
Alexander Volkanovski reclaimed the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 with a unanimous decision over Lopes before successfully defending it in their rematch at UFC 325. With Lopes and Murphy both coming off losses, the contender picture has thinned considerably. Sterling has won back-to-back fights since falling to Evloev at UFC 310, but Evloev’s unbeaten record and ranking make him the clear next man in line.
Evloev entered the UFC in 2019 with a perfect 10-0 record, having previously held the M-1 Global bantamweight title. He has gone 10-0 inside the octagon since, making him 20-0 overall with no finish in any of his UFC victories.
