Latest news with #Evloev
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Movsar Evloev injured, out of Aaron Pico fight for UFC on ABC 9
Movsar Evloev vs. Aaron Pico is a no go for UFC on ACB 9. Movsar Evloev will not be fighting Aaron Pico after all, at least for now. The top UFC featherweight contender has been forced to withdraw from the scheduled bout to due to an undisclosed injury he suffered in training camp. Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) was scheduled to take on Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC on ABC 9 on July 27 at Etihad Arena. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with people close to the situation Tuesday following a report from Red Corner MMA. Those sources told MMA Junkie the UFC plans to keep the matchup and schedule Evloev vs. Pico for a later event. The UFC has yet to make the change official. Pico, who's been a standout fighter for quite sometime outside the UFC, was granted his release form PFL earlier this year, thus prompting his addition to the UFC roster. The fight with Evloev was supposed to be his promotional debut. Pico is on a three-fight winning streak. He last competed n February 2024, when he stopped veteran Henry Corrales in a lightweight bout. Evloev remains unbeaten in his pro career, including his first nine in the UFC – all of which have been decisions. Those wins have come against increasingly stiff competition, including Arnold Allen in early 2024 and former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling late this past year.
Gulf Today
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Aaron Pico's UFC debut set against undefeated Movsar Evloev on July 26 in Abu Dhabi
Aaron Pico's UFC era officially begins next month in Abu Dhabi on July 26 at the Etihad Arena. A bumper UFC Fight Night will see the American make his long-awaited UFC debut against undefeated contender Movsar Evloev in a must-watch featherweight five-round showdown with serious title-shot implications. This isn't Pico's first walk to the Octagon—the longtime MMA featherweight standout was a high-profile free-agent signing by the UFC earlier this year. There will be no soft entry into the UFC for Pico. He's diving straight into the deep end against a man many believe is overdue his shot at the featherweight crown. The 28-year-old is clearly taking this matchup against Evloev — who is riding a nine-fight win streak in the UFC since his 2019 debut — very seriously, coming in exceptionally prepared and in phenomenal shape. Evloev, meanwhile, has quietly dismantled some of the featherweight division's toughest names including Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes, Dan Ige, and most recently, former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Aaron Pico is known for his devastating knockout power, with 11 of his 13 career wins coming by stoppage. Pico is known for his devastating knockout power, with 11 of his 13 career wins coming by stoppage. On the other side, Evloev is a master technician, renowned for his relentless pressure and precision. While this is billed as a classic striker vs. grinder matchup, both fighters have evolved in recent bouts, suggesting this could develop into a far more tactical battle than expected. A win for Pico would immediately shake up the UFC featherweight division, while triumph for Evloev would surely secure him the long-awaited title shot he deserves. With one month to go, the stakes couldn't be higher—Aaron Pico vs. Movsar Evloev isn't just a co-main event, it's a springboard to stardom. This is one fight that simply can't be missed! The Pico vs. Evloev fight is part of a stacked card headlined by former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who faces highly-rated Dutch standout Reinier de Ridder. Meanwhile, former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan aims to extend his winning streak to three—but heavy-handed foe Marcus McGhee stands in his way in a three-round clash.
USA Today
19-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jorge Masvidal heaps praise on Movsar Evloev: 'This guy's going to be champion'
Jorge Masvidal heaps praise on Movsar Evloev: 'This guy's going to be champion' Jorge Masvidal says his American Top Team teammate Movsar Evloev has unmatched work ethic. Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) will welcome former Bellator standout Aaron Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC on ABC 9 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) on July 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. UFC CEO Dana White said that with a win, Evloev will likely be next in line for UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Having trained with Evloev on numerous occasions, Masvidal says it's only a matter of time before the Russian has UFC gold around his waist. "I know Movsar a long time, four years at American Top Team," Masvidal told Red Corner MMA. "Me and Movsar train a lot together. At the time, I'm like 185, 190 pounds and Movsar's like 150, 160. So at first, we're wrestling, I'm doing OK, but this guy does not stop. By the last minute, my head was going to explode because he just doesn't stop, and he's just shooting, shooting, wrestling, wrestling, shooting. "Does not stop, always advancing position. When I went with him I was like, 'Man, he's able to keep that pace with me, and I'm a lot bigger and more experienced than him? This guy's scary,' and I've trained with him numerous times and I've also seen him train with some of the best in the gym. I'm telling you, this guy's going to be champion at 145." Masvidal also praised Evloev for his training regimen. "God gave him genetics, but also, this guy works harder than everybody else," Masvidal said. "Every day, he does conditioning after wrestling. Two hours and a half of wrestling, then he'll go roll, he'll go run, he'll go lift weights. This makes a big difference."
USA Today
06-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Manager: Like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Movsar Evloev willing to take long road to UFC title
Manager: Like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Movsar Evloev willing to take long road to UFC title MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Ali Abdelaziz says Movsar Evloev is happy to prove he's the rightful No. 1 contender – no matter how long it takes. Despite being undefeated and 9-0 in the octagon, Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) is not next in line for a title shot, which even surprised UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Evloev is rumored to welcome Bellator standout Aaron Pico to the UFC, but nothing has been confirmed. Evloev's past three wins have come over former title challenger Diego Lopes, top contender Arnold Allen, and most recently former champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310. Abdelaziz has had numerous clients who have had to go on almost double-digit win streaks before getting their title shot, and says Evloev embodies the same mentality. "The UFC, half of them want him to get a title shot. The other half ... Anyway, if Movsar needs to get one more, he said Khabib (Nurmagomedov) did it, Islam (Makhachev) did it, Kamaru (Usman) did it, Belal (Muhammad) did it," Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. "If he has to get one more and be on a 10-fight win streak, he will do it. "If he goes out there next fight and he wins – he doesn't have a fight officially yet – but he deserves to be fighting for the title. But at the end of the day, we'll follow the system. He said this: 'If I'm the best in the world, and if I lose before I get to the title, I'm not the best in the world.' This is the same thing Khabib told me, Islam told me, Kamaru told me. These guys (that) have the same mentality, they go a long way." Nurmagomedov, Makhachev, Usman and Muhammad, all managed by Abdelaziz, became UFC champions. Makhachev currently is the UFC's lightweight titleholder.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Alexander Volkanovski's UFC title reign up in the air as champion is denied preferred fight
Alexander Volkanovski 's next fight is up in the air, after the UFC champion's preferred challenger declared he is fighting a fellow contender this summer. Volkanovski reclaimed the featherweight throne in April, outpointing Diego Lopes to win the belt that Ilia Topuria vacated in February. Twelve months earlier, Topuria knocked out Volkanovski to become champion, ending the Australian's four-year reign. And Volkanovski, looking to build a strong second stint with the belt, had made clear his desire to defend the gold against Movsar Evloev first. The Russian is unbeaten at 19-0 and last fought in December, outpointing ex-bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Evloev was the most obvious next challenger for Volkanovski, 36, but the 31-year-old tweeted on Thursday (22 May): 'If you are a UFC fighter and believe you are the best in the world then you have fight every fight they throw at you. 'No risk no reward. See you guys in July, it's ON #AbuDhabi. '@alexvolkanovski thank you Champ for trying to fight me, I will fight in July and you fight in September, hopefully we both win and we can meet in December.' It is suspected that Evloev could face new signing Aaron Pico, 28, who has joined the UFC from Bellator, while Volkanovski's next challenger may be Yair Rodriguez through a process of elimination. While Volkanovski beat the Mexican handily in 2023, stopping him in round three, Rodriguez recorded a significant win against former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull last time out. Admittedly, that decision victory only snapped a two-fight losing streak for Rodriguez, who was submitted by Brian Ortega after his defeat by Volk. However, the only fighters above the 32-year-old in the rankings are: Topuria, who has moved up to challenge for the lightweight strap; Lopes, who just lost to Volkanovski; and Max Holloway, who is booked to fight at lightweight in July (and who Volkanovski has beaten three times). Furthermore, with the UFC having booked its pay-per-view main events for June, July and August, the next free headline slot is September's UFC 320 in Mexico – Rodriguez's home country. But there are ongoing issues with the new Arena Guadalajara, meaning the event could yet be moved. UFC 320 has already suffered a setback, with a boxing super-fight between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Terence Crawford being moved from 12 September to 13 September, the same night as the UFC show. That is despite a plan for UFC president Dana White to co-promote the boxing event with Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh. With both fight cards playing out on the same night, it seems unlikely that White will be involved in Canelo vs Crawford. It is unclear what that means for his new working relationship with Alalshikh under TKO Boxing.
