Volkanovski Endorses Evloev as Next Title Challenger
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has made his position clear regarding his next title defence, publicly backing Movsar Evloev while dismissing Jean Silva's claims to a championship opportunity. The Australian champion's comments come after Evloev extended his undefeated record with a contentious victory at UFC London.
Evloev's Narrow Victory at UFC London
On Saturday at the O2 Arena, Movsar Evloev won a narrow split decision against Lerone Murphy in the main event of UFC London. The victory extended Evloev's professional record to a perfect 20-0 and solidified his position as the UFC's top-ranked featherweight contender. The Russian fighter had a point deducted in the fourth round for landing two low blows, making the 48-46, 48-46, 47-47 decision particularly contentious.
In his post-fight press conference, Evloev dismissed sixth-ranked Jean Silva as a legitimate challenger for Volkanovski's title and argued for his own worthiness based on his undefeated record and consistent performances against top competition.
Volkanovski's Clear Preference
Alexander Volkanovski has now publicly endorsed Evloev's position, stating on his YouTube channel that he believes the undefeated Russian should be his next opponent. "I'm quite certain it's Movsar," Volkanovski declared. "Everyone knows what type of champion I am. I just don't know how many times I can keep not fighting the No 1 contender."
The 37-year-old champion emphasized his commitment to fighting the best available competition, noting that Evloev was already the top-ranked contender before defeating the third-ranked Murphy. "These are the two top guys, and they had to face each other, and then you did have a winner," Volkanovski explained. "So, it's obviously clearly, clearly going to be Movsar."
Silva's Credentials Questioned
Volkanovski was particularly dismissive of Jean Silva's claims to a title shot, questioning how the sixth-ranked Brazilian could be considered ahead of the undefeated top contender. "People are going to throw Silva's name out," Volkanovski said. "I don't even know how people are really throwing that out."
The champion pointed to Silva's knockout loss to Diego Lopes in September as evidence that the Brazilian hasn't proven himself against elite competition. "He's yet to prove himself," Volkanovski stated. "He fought a top guy and lost, a guy that I beat twice quite comfortably."
Silva bounced back from that loss with a narrow points victory over Arnold Allen in January, bringing his UFC record to 6-1 and his overall professional record to 17-3. However, Volkanovski suggested that fighting Silva would damage his legacy. "People are gonna look back and be like: 'Why did I fight that guy? He was ranked No 6, he had one win, he didn't beat any top guys.'"
Legacy Considerations and Future Matchups
Volkanovski, who is currently in his second reign as featherweight champion after reclaiming the vacant title last year, emphasized the importance of legacy in his decision-making. "I look at fighting the best, for one, that's always gonna come first," he explained. "Then if we talk legacy, I want the undefeated guy that's beat all the other contenders. I know that beating him is gonna look very good on my resume."
The champion expressed confidence in his ability to defeat all potential challengers, including Evloev, Silva, and Murphy, but stressed that fighting the top-ranked contender makes the most sense from both competitive and historical perspectives.
Evloev's recent performances have included decision victories over Murphy, Arnold Allen, and former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, all of which were closely contested fights. The Russian previously defeated Diego Lopes in 2023, the same fighter Volkanovski has beaten twice in title fights this year and last.
While the UFC ultimately makes the final decision on title matchups, Volkanovski's strong endorsement of Evloev as his next challenger adds significant weight to the Russian's claims and creates pressure on the promotion to book the matchup that the champion himself believes makes the most competitive sense.
