UFC London Headliner Reveals Dana White’s Scrapped Title Plans Before Volkanovski Ruined It

Sadly, in the UFC, being the best doesn’t guarantee you’ll get what you deserve—and plenty of athletes have learned that the hard way. The No. 1-ranked featherweight Movsar Evloev is no exception. After Alexander Volkanovski reclaimed the featherweight title with a win over Diego Lopes at UFC 314, many expected the division’s top contender to be next in line. 

Instead, the promotion and Dana White announced an unnecessary rematch when ‘Volk’ had convincingly secured a unanimous decision. And that was proven at UFC 325, when Volkanovski and Lopes collide again. The rematch was an exact copy of the first fight—Lopes hadn’t improved his game. Now, Evloev revealed how he was sidelined before the rematch.

“Yeah, I was kinda surprised when they didn’t let me in,” Evloev told reporters at a press conference when asked whether he was ready to enter the cage after ‘Volk’s’ first win over Lopes. “They told me to be ready [to face off], maybe they expected Lopes to win, and Volk wins, and they changed their mind.”

That is exactly what happened. However, it did more harm than good for Diego Lopes. With the second loss, the Brazilian can’t challenge Volk for a third time, and might even have to wait for the champion to move divisions before he can ask for a title shot. Lopes will have to plead and pray to the gods for this Saturday night’s Fight Night. 

MMA: UFC 290 – Volkanovski vs Rodriguez Jul 8, 2023 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Alexander Volkanovski red gloves prior to the fight against Yair Rodriguez blue gloves during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena Nevada USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xStephenxR.xSylvaniex 20230708_szo_cs1_0310

Movsar Evloev faces No. 3-ranked Lerone Murphy in what is being viewed as a featherweight title eliminator on Saturday, headlining UFC London. So, whoever wins at UFC London between Evloev and Murphy could secure a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski. And if the winner of Saturday night’s fight could beat ‘Volk,’ it will allow the Brazilian to get back in the title picture. 

Evloev is currently undefeated but hasn’t fought since defeating Aljamain Sterling in December 2024. Meanwhile, Murphy is also undefeated and is coming off a first-round knockout win over Aaron Pico in August last year. Both fighters are expected to put on an exciting night of action on Saturday, which will decide the division’s future.

But who is going to win? 

Yousuf Zalal predicts Movsar Evloev vs. Lerone Murphy 

There’s no doubt it’s a tough fight to predict accurately. But if anyone can do it, it’s Yousuf Zalal. Speaking ahead of their showdown at UFC Fight Night 270, Zalal highlighted Evloev’s elite grappling as the deciding factor.

“That’s a tough fight,” Zalal said. “Obviously, Movsar, the grappling is high, high, high level, so I’m interested to see how Lerone does with the high-level wrestling…If I had to pick, I think Movsar wins that fight,” he said.

Zalal himself is slated to face Aljamain Sterling at UFC Fight Night 274 on April 25. Moreover, while most people think the Evloev vs. Murphy fight is a title eliminator, he is not ready to count himself out. 

“Again, I said this in the Josh Emmett fight, and a lot of people thought I was crazy: I think it all depends on performance,” Zalal added. “Whoever goes out there and has a better performance is almost guaranteed a title shot.”

That being said, it appears Zalal expects the UFC to snub Movsar Evloev a second time. However, only time will tell who ends up getting a title shot. Who do you think it will be? 

The post UFC London Headliner Reveals Dana White’s Scrapped Title Plans Before Volkanovski Ruined It appeared first on EssentiallySports.