Movsar Evloev went one step closer to featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski after defeating #3-ranked Lerone Murphy at UFC London via a controversial majority decision. However, as if the undefeated Russian’s performance wasn’t impressive enough, it turns out he went toe to toe with the British star while dealing with an existing injury that would have derailed many fighters.

Through social media, # 1-ranked featherweight contender Evloev shocked fans by posting a picture of himself with a swollen nose, an injury he had sustained four weeks before the fight.

“🚨 Movsar Evloev broke his nose four weeks before the Lerone Murphy fight 😳,” Championship Rounds posted on X, via RedFuryMMA.

During the fight, the 20-0 Russian still looked composed while handling Murphy’s striking at UFC London. However, he stayed very measured with his takedown attempts. Why? With that prior nose injury in mind, it seems like Evloev held back on some of those attempts, possibly to avoid eating a knee during wrestling exchanges.

When it comes to injuries, Evloev has a history of dealing with setbacks. He missed significant time in 2025 while battling viral illnesses, which he described as COVID-19 or something similar, and also underwent knee surgeries in the past. Those issues have contributed to him pulling out of important fights, including one against Aaron Pico.

“Maybe my body was tired, my immune system went low and then I got some type of virus, COVID or something, and I started to feel so bad,” Evloev told MMA Fighting before UFC London. “We decided not to fight because it was impossible. Even easy exercise made me feel so bad. I wasn’t in shape to fight with the guy, especially a big wrestling guy because I felt so bad.”

“Yeah, I was worried, but I have a lot of things like that. Surgery on my knee, I had COVID twice before that. I’ve had a lot of times where I felt the same. I’m kind of used to it,” he added.

After pushing through such a difficult phase, Evloev refused to let this opportunity slip, as he fought through a serious injury to stay in the title picture. Interestingly, he showed a level of toughness similar to Dan Hooker, who reportedly fought Arman Tsarukyan with a broken nose.

With the Russian getting penalized for hitting low blows, a point deducted in the fourth round of the fight, many scored the first two rounds for Murphy and expected a draw or a win for the English fighter. However, others believed Evloev did enough in the fight to win the fight as the judges’ scorecards read 48-46, 48-46, 47-47.

Now, as Movsar Evloev heads into recovery with a potential title shot against Alexander Volkanovski in sight, he’s not the only one suffering from injury. The Russian’s last opponent, Lerone Murphy, is also dealing with a significant injury that he sustained at UFC London.

Lerone Murphy talks about the injury he got vs Movsar Evloev at UFC London

The UFC London main event was a high-stakes, competitive showdown for sure. But in the 4th round, things got intense during a wrestling exchange when hometown hero Lerone Murphy appeared to injure his hip, making it highly uncomfortable for the Brit to continue moving freely in the later stages of the fight.

Even with that pain, Murphy held his ground, pushed through the later rounds, and made it to a decision against Movsar Evloev. After the fight, fans wanted to know what had happened to ‘The Miracle’, and he later revealed that he had suffered a hip flexor injury in the fourth round.

“Tore my hip flexor in round 4. Be back in no time,” Murphy said in a video on his Instagram story while receiving treatment.

Now, as Murphy receives medical attention for his injured hip, he could be out for around three months or more, depending on the severity of the injury. So, it will be interesting to see where the Brit goes from here after the loss at UFC London.

That said, what do you think about fighters like Movsar Evloev competing with existing injuries in career-defining fights? Let us know in the comments section below.