Unbeaten Evloev dismisses Volkanovski's striking plan ahead of UFC 333 title fight

Movsar Evloev has called Alexander Volkanovski’s pre-fight strategy “illogical” and vowed to dictate every aspect of their UFC featherweight championship bout at UFC 333 on 24 October in Abu Dhabi. The unbeaten Russian challenger (20-0) faces the two-time champion Volkanovski (28-4) in the main event of the card.

Volkanovski has publicly stated he intends to neutralise Evloev’s wrestling by keeping the fight standing and turning it into a striking contest. Evloev, speaking to MMA Junkie, rejected that blueprint entirely.

“He’s been a little illogical,” Evloev said. “I will do anything I want. Whenever I decide to take him down, I will take him down. I’m not scared of his striking skills, too. He’s great. But like I said, my time is coming. Oct. 24, everybody will see. I’m going to win.”

The challenger also pointed to visible improvements in his own striking as evidence that he is not simply a one-dimensional grappler heading into the biggest fight of his career.

“To become a champion while beating a legend, that’s the dream of fighters,” Evloev said. “My skills are getting better. My striking, everyone noticed, is a little bit better than I do before. We’re confident to fight with a guy like Alex. We respect him. We’ll respect him even after we beat him. Nothing but respect, but this is my time.”

Evloev enters the contest as the only undefeated fighter in the featherweight top ten, a run that stretches across his entire professional career. Volkanovski, meanwhile, is a two-time divisional champion who reclaimed the belt after his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria, and will be looking to cement his legacy with a successful defence against the division’s most credentialed newcomer to a title shot.

The fight has been in the making for some time, with Evloev’s wrestling-heavy style long identified as a potential stylistic problem for Volkanovski. Whether the champion’s confidence in his ability to keep it standing proves well-founded, or whether Evloev’s belief in his own takedown dominance is justified, will be settled when the two meet in Abu Dhabi.