Tag: Movsar Evolev

Aljamain Sterling Interested in Diego Lopes Fight After Withdrawing from UFC 307

Aljmain Sterling Interested in Diego Lopes Fight After Withdrawing from UFC 307After his fight with Movsar Evloev fell through, Aljamain Sterling has his eyes on a potential scrap with the…

Aljmain Sterling Interested in Diego Lopes Fight After Withdrawing from UFC 307

After his fight with Movsar Evloev fell through, Aljamain Sterling has his eyes on a potential scrap with the surging Diego Lopes.

After a successful featherweight debut at UFC 300 in April, the ‘Funk Master’ was scheduled to square off with Evloev on October 5 in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, Sterling was forced to bow out of the bout due to an injury.

Aljamain Sterling

Though it sounds like he won’t be on the shelf for very long, the former bantamweight champion is already looking past Evloev, eyeing a fight with the featherweight division’s No. 3 ranked contender instead.

“I don’t know [who could be next], maybe Diego Lopes. “Sterling told The Schmo while discussing his UFC return. “Maybe that would be a battle for the three [ranking]. If we’re talking the next best fight if Movsar declines, I don’t know who else we would fight. But, if you give me the option, I always wanted Brian Ortega so I could get the next closest spot to the top.

“Now that next closest guy is Diego Lopes. That’s all it is. It has nothing to do with what this guy did or that, but it’s the name value, what it gets me, the risk vs. reward. If I’m going to risk it for the biscuit, that’s the guy I’d want to risk it with” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev likely to be rebooked

Lopes thrust into the featherweight top five at UFC 306 via a unanimous decision victory over ex-title challenger Brian Ortega. He is now 5-1 inside the Octagon with wins over the likes of Pat Sabatini, Sodiq Yusuff, and Dan Ige.

gettyimages 2172050889 612x612 1

With Evloev unable to secure a short-notice opponent for UFC 307 next month, the promotion will likely reschedule his bout with Sterling for some time in late 2024 or early 2025, but we can’t help but be excited by a potential meeting between the explosive Lopes and one of the best grapplers in the game.

gettyimages 2159887693 612x612 1

Bryce Mitchell Open To Facing Movsar Evloev But Not On Short Notice: ‘You Know What Happened Last Time…’

Movsar Evloev is in need of a new opponent, and Bryce Mitchell may be willing to step up. The Russian was scheduled to face former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in a battle of featherweight contenders at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City. Sterling, however, was recently announced to be out of […]

Continue Reading Bryce Mitchell Open To Facing Movsar Evloev But Not On Short Notice: ‘You Know What Happened Last Time…’ at MMA News.

Movsar Evloev is in need of a new opponent, and Bryce Mitchell may be willing to step up.

The Russian was scheduled to face former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in a battle of featherweight contenders at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City.

Sterling, however, was recently announced to be out of UFC 307 due to an injury. The UFC is intending to keep Evloev on the card as long as they can find a short-notice opponent.

Mitchell appears to be willing to fulfill that role, throwing his name into the hat in a recent video interview with The Schmo.

That said, he would take the fight if it could be delayed until right before the end of the year.

Bryce Mitchell Says If He Gets Two Months, He’ll Step Up Against Movsar Evloev

“[I heard Sterling] hurt his elbow,” Mitchell said. “You know what happened last time I took one on short notice. It was ugly. I’m wise enough to respect that I need a little bit more training. I want that fight. Give me two months, I’m down. That’s all I need. Two months. And I think that’s fair to ask.

“And if he really wants that fight, two months is not that long of a wait for what they’re paying him. He can survive two more months without a paycheck. I think he should fight me in two months.”

Mitchell, however, also did note that he wouldn’t want to take the fight from Sterling if he still wanted it — attesting to he and “Funk Master” being good friends.

Mitchell’s most recent fight was also a short-notice bout, one that did not end particularly well for “Thug Nasty.” Stepping up on late notice against Josh Emmett at UFC 296, Mitchell was brutally knocked out in what was a late Knockout of the Year contender.

After starting his career 15-0, the Arkansas native has lost two of his last three.

Evloev, meanwhile, is undefeated at 18-0. He was most recently in action at January’s UFC 297, defeating Arnold Allen.

Continue Reading Bryce Mitchell Open To Facing Movsar Evloev But Not On Short Notice: ‘You Know What Happened Last Time…’ at MMA News.