Jean Silva declares himself ahead of Evloev in line for UFC featherweight title shot

Jean Silva has publicly declared himself the rightful next challenger for Alexander Volkanovski’s UFC featherweight title, bypassing Movsar Evloev — the fighter widely regarded as the division’s top contender — in his own estimation of the queue.

“I’m the next one in line for the title,” Silva told MMAjunkie.com. “I’m the next one that’s gonna get that belt. I’m taking that belt back to Brazil.”

Evloev (20-0) enters the conversation with an unblemished record across 10 UFC appearances, and Volkanovski himself has repeatedly named the undefeated Russian as the most deserving challenger at 145 pounds. Despite that, Silva is confident the matchup will not materialise before the end of 2025. “I think the chances of Evloev fighting Volkanovski by the end of the year are slim,” he said. “And if Volk wants to fight somebody, I’ll be ready to fight him.”

Silva’s case rests largely on his finishing ability — a quality he believes Evloev conspicuously lacks. While the Russian has never been stopped in his professional career, he has also never stopped an opponent inside the UFC octagon. Silva has finished five of his six UFC victories.

He was blunt in his assessment of why Evloev has not yet received a title shot. “I don’t think he has ever got left behind,” Silva said. “I just think he has been stuck, he just hasn’t progressed. This is a business, you need to sell your fights, you need to perform. If you don’t perform, people are gonna outperform you. They are gonna bypass you.”

Silva’s own record is not without blemish. The Brazilian (17-3), nicknamed “Lord”, suffered his sole UFC defeat against Diego Lopes before bouncing back with a decision win over Arnold Allen in January 2025. That rebound appears to have done little to temper his ambitions — if anything, it has sharpened them.

Silva acknowledged he may need one more fight before a title shot is formally offered, but framed even that scenario as a temporary detour rather than a setback. “If I need to fight somebody else, I’ll beat up on somebody else before I’m on my way to fighting him by the end of the year,” he said.