Volkanovski picks ideal UFC challenger from Evloev vs Murphy as he eyes ‘legacy’ fight
· Yahoo Sports
Alexander Volkanovski has already made his preference clear ahead of a crucial featherweight clash this weekend. The champion is watching closely as Movsar Evloev faces Lerone Murphy at UFC London.
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The bout takes place this Saturday at the O2 Arena and is widely viewed as a title eliminator. With Evloev ranked No.1 and Murphy No.3 in the division, the winner is expected to earn the next shot at ‘The Great’.
While both options appeal, the champion appears to be leaning one way. His reasoning highlights a growing trend in MMA that continues to shape title fights.
Alexander Volkanovski targets Evloev and new-era wrestling challenge
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCSpeaking on his YouTube channel, Volkanovski explained why Evloev stands out as his preferred next opponent.
“Movsar is this wrestling style that everyone’s having problems with, people don’t want, they don’t like. This is being a bit of a problem in the UFC. When I say problem I mean problem for fighters. A lot of fighters don’t know how to deal with this,” he began by saying.
“You got [Khamzat] Chimaev just outgrappling, Islam [Makhachev], you got all these guys that have been so effective with their you know Dagestani wrestling, the Chechen wrestling, they’ve been so effective with it and a lot of people can’t figure it out.
“Obviously you’ve seen in my fight with Islam that I can deal with that, and I would love to get a guy who – if he wins against Lerone – is going to be 20-0, with this new era type of winning, a most effective style.
“I get to take out that newest era style, I get to go out there and then show you that, because you know, you’ve seen me outstrike the best grapplers, you’ve seen me outgrapple the best, you know, I love that.
“They’re both great fights for the legacy, both of them, but if I had to choose who I’d probably prefer it’d probably be Movsar just because of that.”
Jean Silva emerges as wildcard in title picture
Despite the focus on London’s main event, Jean Silva is attempting to force his way into contention. The Brazilian has been invited by UFC executives to attend the event, signalling potential interest from the promotion.
Silva, who holds a 6-1 UFC record and sits sixth in the rankings, has even suggested he could position himself for a title shot if this Saturday’s main event fails to deliver.
With Volkanovski favouring Evloev and Silva pushing his case, the featherweight title picture remains far from settled.
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