logo
Alexander Volkanovski Eyes Movsar Evloev After UFC 314 Win

Alexander Volkanovski Eyes Movsar Evloev After UFC 314 Win

Yahoo08-05-2025

There's no coasting in the featherweight division—not even for legends. Fresh off a gritty battle at UFC 314 against rising contender Diego Lopes, Alexander Volkanovski isn't thinking about rest. He's focused on legacy. After dominating at the top for years, the former champion has made it clear that he's not ready to fade quietly into the background. In fact, there's one undefeated name that has his full attention.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Volkanovski revealed that he's eyeing a showdown with unbeaten Russian standout Movsar Evloev, who currently boasts a 9-fight UFC win streak. Volkanovski shared his mindset heading into the next chapter, saying, 'Before the fight I'm talking about Movsar, and obviously he's in a position where—if you look at who deserves the most—being undefeated and who he's fought and ranking... I do like that undefeated record. I'd love to take that zero.' He added, 'Especially for legacy and where I'm at—taking out an undefeated guy, younger than me anyway... I think Movsar is still going to be up there. I go take him out and he keeps building his resume... to have that name on my resume would be good.'
Alex VolkanovskiGetty Images
A few weeks ago, Evloev voiced his own frustrations during an interview with KolosMMA, claiming that the promotion has been avoiding pairing him with top-tier opponents. 'As I understand it, the UFC is trying to keep me as far away from anything title-related as possible. I was at UFC 314. After the fight, I had the opportunity to talk to the UFC. They did not want this.' His comments reflect growing tension as Evloev continues to rise through the ranks without a clear path to a title shot. Now that Volkanovski has expressed interest, things could get interesting.
Advertisement
Whether it's defending territory at 145 or chasing vengeance at 155 in a potential rematch with Ilia Topuria, Volkanovski's fire hasn't dimmed. He's chasing greatness—and Movsar Evloev might be next in his path.
Related: Alexander Volkanovski Hints at Lightweight Return – Talks Possible Super Rematch
Related: Belal Muhammad Delivers Discouraging Update to Islam Makhachev Ahead of UFC 315

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Merab Dvalishvili expected a different Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 after ex-champ 'made so many excuses'
Merab Dvalishvili expected a different Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 after ex-champ 'made so many excuses'

Yahoo

time41 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Merab Dvalishvili expected a different Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 after ex-champ 'made so many excuses'

Merab Dvalishvili might be unstoppable in the UFC bantamweight division. After arguably the greatest performance of his career this past Saturday, the reigning UFC champ now rides a 13-fight win streak, tied for the fourth-longest in promotional history. Dvalishvili's rematch with Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 had the New Jersey crowd on its feet for as long as the action lasted inside Newark's Prudential Center, with former titleholder O'Malley succumbing to a third-round north-south choke after previously losing a unanimous decision in their first encounter this past September. Advertisement O'Malley spoke ahead of UFC 316 about how hindered he was by injuries in the first fight, and he performed admirably in the rematch despite being finished. Appearing on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Dvalishvili shared how he, too, approached the second fight differently. "I wanted to do way better than first time," he said. "When I was fighting Sean the first time for the belt, I wanted to just win the belt and take less risk because I know I was winning. I sometimes don't risk it because I just want to win. I wanted to do better [at UFC 316] because I was facing the same opponent. 'Also, Sean made so many excuses, and I was thinking that he really may become a different person. He was way better than the first time, but because it was a rematch, I was supposed to do something extra. Advertisement '[O'Malley's] takedown defense was much better. He also already knew my style. ... He was doing much better footwork, and he fixed the mistakes that he made in the first fight. He fixed those things, but I got much better from the last fight and I fixed that too." Dvalishvili, 34, already has two successful title defenses under his belt in 2025 as the UFC's 135-pound king and is beginning to clear out the division. While some complained that the rematch felt somewhat rushed as O'Malley hadn't competed since his title loss, stronger alternatives weren't readily available. In the time since, however, top contenders like Cory Sandhagen have established themselves with equally impressive performances to regain steam. With Sandhagen in attendance at UFC 316, the two shared a friendly moment backstage, which according to Dvalishvili was mostly him applauding Sandhagen's recent comedic posts on social media and reiterating that he's happy to fight "The Sandman" next. 'He's beaten a lot of good guys, like Song Yadong, [Marlon] 'Chito' Vera, close fight with [Petr] Yan," Dvalishvili said. Advertisement "He's a new style. We've never fought each other, and we know there is no MMA math. The style makes the fight, and Cory, he's a different style. It will be a test for me. I think Yan has a fight with somebody else [booked], and yeah, I don't see [anyone else] off the top of my head. Mario Bautista looks very good as well." As we hit the midway point of 2025, a handful of dominant champions exist in the UFC. Directly below Dvalishvili in the divisional ladder is current flyweight titleholder and Uncrowned's No. 4 ranked pound-for-pound fighter Alexandre Pantoja, who seeks his fourth belt defense on June 28 at UFC 317 when he takes on Kai Kara-France. The fight won't be an official rematch, but Pantoja and Kara-France did collide during their run on "The Ultimate Fighter 24" in 2016, with Pantoja winning a two-round exhibition. Should Pantoja get past Kara-France, the Brazilian champion will have further cleaned out the 125-pound division, making a potential superfight at bantamweight all the more enticing. The matchup hasn't been overly discussed from either party, but Dvalishvili wouldn't be opposed to it should the time come. "If he will move up in my weight class and UFC is interested in that, no problem," Dvalishvili said of fighting Pantoja. "That would be a fight I'm sure a lot of people will be interested in. No problem. 'I respect Pantoja. Pantoja will be a tough opponent for me. If Pantoja wants this and if the UFC wants this, I have no problem with that."

Diego Lopes, Yair Rodriguez trade barbs over avoiding fights – with more than each other
Diego Lopes, Yair Rodriguez trade barbs over avoiding fights – with more than each other

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

Diego Lopes, Yair Rodriguez trade barbs over avoiding fights – with more than each other

Diego Lopes, Yair Rodriguez trade barbs over avoiding fights – with more than each other The drama between Diego Lopes and Yair Rodriguez has ramped up. After getting into a heated confrontation at the UFC 314 pre-fight press conference in April, it seemed things died down until now. Lopes, a former UFC title challenger, took to Instagram on Monday to accuse "El Pantera" of turning him down for this year's Noche UFC event in September. "Hey, Yair Rodriguez, I just learned that you got a call from Hunter (Campbell), and you turned down to fight me at Noche UFC," Lopes wrote on Instagram in Spanish. "Where's the man that was in front of me at the press conference?" During their UFC tenure, Lopes and Rodriguez appeared to be friendly toward each other until that UFC 314 fight week in April. Rodriguez, who fought and defeated "Pitbull" on that card, went off on Lopes, accusing him of jumping his friend, Marco Beltran, whom Lopes submitted and had beef with outside the UFC. Rodriguez also criticized Lopes for representing Mexico. Lopes is from Brazil but has been living and fighting out of Mexico for many years. Tension has been high between the two since, and this latest back-and-forth proved that it's not settled. It didn't take long for Lopes to get a response from Rodriguez on Monday, as hours later Rodriguez posted a video on his Instagram, confirming that he did reject the fight but due to injuries from his fight against Patricio Freire. "This damn sport is tough. I'd love for things to be different because it's become a circus, to be honest," Rodriguez said in Spanish. "The p*ssy Diego Lopes is saying that I don't want to fight against him, and that's not the case at all. I'm a little disappointed with UFC with the fact that they offered me a fight with, because they just offered to fight him. Let's take a step back first. What happened? When I had the chance to fight Diego, he said no because I was coming off a loss, but now that he's coming off a loss, he wants to fight me. I don't think he's very consistent with what he says. I obviously don't have any problem fighting him. If you ask me, I'd rather fight him in the damn street because a fight against him in the UFC doesn't do much for me. I'm not going to get paid more. It does absolutely nothing. It won't put me in a better position either because he's coming off a loss. "I'm also still injured from the last fight, so before anything, I first have to see where I'm at with that. I went to see a doctor, and he recommended surgery. Obviously I'm avoiding that at all cost, but let's see where this situation takes me. I just wanted to come on here and clarify the situation. I have not turned down the fight, and I'd be more than happy to fight against this damn sh*t-head and his entire team, who can all suck it. So just that. I want you guys to understand my position because I'm already getting attacked, and what else can you expect. People always come and attack when you're down and hurt. But that's it. Let's see what happens with my health and if I can avoid the surgery." Rodriguez went on to accuse Lopes of turning down a fight himself. He claims rising contender Jean Silva is looking to fight Lopes, and Lopes is trying to avoid him. "In the meantime, I'd like to see Diego stop running from Jean Silva and have a showdown with him," Rodriguez said. "He's running from him. But yeah, let's see what happens with my health, and we'll take it from there." Lopes didn't stay quiet about Rodriguez's rebuttal. He made a second post on Instagram addressing the claim of avoiding Silva. "Let's look at the facts," Lopes wrote in Spanish. "After the fight against Volk, UFC contacted me asking how my health was. I gave them all the recommendations that the doctors gave me, which was that I'd be ready for September. They offered me Aaron Pico, I said yes. Two days later, I was offered Jean Silva, I said yes. When UFC changed Noche UFC to San Antonio, (UFC offered) Yair Rodriguez, I said yes. I also offered to fight Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy. If you have any doubts, ask Dana (White), Hunter (Campbell), or Sean (Shelby) if I've ever turned down a fight. The day that I turn down a fight would be because I have a serious health problem, and it's impossible for me to fight. My career was built accepting fights. There's a reason why I have 33 professional fights."

Ian Machado Garry vows to box the ears off ex-UFC champ Belal Muhammad, gets response
Ian Machado Garry vows to box the ears off ex-UFC champ Belal Muhammad, gets response

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Ian Machado Garry vows to box the ears off ex-UFC champ Belal Muhammad, gets response

Ian Machado Garry vows to box the ears off ex-UFC champ Belal Muhammad, gets response Ian Machado Garry is eyeing a former champion in his quest for UFC gold. Machado Garry (16-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) took to social media to dare former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) to stand and trade with him. His comments come after Muhammad lost his title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 last month, where he opted to predominantly strike with the Aussie. "I believe Belal lost to JDM due to his ego trying to stand and bang when he should have taken JDM down," Machado Garry said in an Instagram post. "Surely he won't try to stand and bang with me? Surely not. I am going to box the ears off you because I'm the best in this division, hands down. Belal, learn from your last loss and never ever, ever, ever try and stand and bang with me." Muhammad responded to Machado Garry with a date for a potential fight. "I'll see you at msg." After Machado Garry defeated Carlos Prates by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 66 in April, he served as the title-fight backup for Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena at UFC 315, but his services weren't needed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store