Evloev calls for Rodriguez title eliminator: ‘You have to beat me first’

Movsar Evloev isn’t the hottest contender at 145 pounds right now as far as many fans are concerned, but there’s no denying his resume is the best.

Evloev is 19-0 in MMA with a 9-0 record in the UFC. The only issue? The 31-year-old Russian fighter hasn’t finished an opponent since entering the UFC in 2019. His grinding wrestling style and lack of violent offense hasn’t made him a favorite with the public or matchmakers. So despite getting called out by renewed featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, there’s still a lot of doubt he’ll get a title shot next.

Even Evloev questioned if he’d be next in a recent interview with MMA Junkie.

“If we ask Volkanovski, he will fight [me] because he is real champion,” Evloev said. “But we don’t know if UFC need it. I don’t know, maybe [it’s because I have no UFC finishes]. The only thing they can talk is I have no finish.”

As for Yair Rodriguez’s win over Patricio Pitbull at UFC 314?

“It was a good fight but I don’t think it’s enough to fight for the title again,” Movsar said. “Because he had chance [to fight before UFC 314] and he just skip it, right? Yair, if you want to fight for title, you have to beat me first. And then you deserve it.”

“Maybe they will give [a title shot] to [Jean Silva],” he added. “If they say they have contender that deserve it more than I, then let me test him.”

At least Evloev has one fan in Alexander Volkanovski, who called out the Russian wrestling expert the moment he touched ground back in Australia.

“I did mention Movsar,” Volk told FOX News waiting at the airport. “He’s undefeated, I like the fact that he’s undefeated. Still one of the younger generation again. Undefeated, for the legacy, that would still mean so much. But you’re right, is that what the fans want, what the UFC wants?”

With so many more bankable options out there — including a September card in Guadalajara with Mexican star Yair Rodriguez — we have our doubts.