Remember when Alexander Volkanovski boldly called out the undefeated UFC juggernaut Movsar Evloev? Ahead of his featherweight title fight at UFC 314, the Aussie confidently declared, “I’m telling you, I’m gonna go out there, win the belt, and I’ll call out Movsar—he can wait if he wants to.” True to his word, Volkanovski did just that. And so when Evloev wrote, “There will be an update soon,” on his Instagram handle, the MMA community speculated they would witness a well-deserved title fight between them.

However, the reality turned out to be quite different. It seems UFC boss Dana White believes the Russian needs to get in at least one more fight before facing the champion. We wonder why! After all, Evloev has faced top-ranking opponents like Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes, and Dan Ige and found success against each one of them via a unanimous decision. So this makes us speculate if Evloev’s  previous accusations were true.

Last month, he had opened up in an interview: “As I understand it, UFC is trying to keep me as far away from anything title-related as possible… I was at UFC 314. After the fight, I had the opportunity to talk to the UFC. They did not want this.” His case seems to be similar to Magomed Ankalaev, who had to wait for a while before getting the title shot, but when he got it, he made sure to snatch the light heavyweight belt from Alex Pereira. And now Evloev has posted an update about his next outing, and as you would have already guessed, it certainly doesn’t involve a bout against the reigning featherweight champion.

Taking to his X handle, Movsar Evloev announced that he will be making a comeback soon. “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.” Along with this update, Evloev dropped another confession where he thanked Volkanovski for trying his best to push for a fight. “Alexander Volkanovski, 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.”

While Evloev didn’t reveal his opponent’s name, what caught fans’ attention is the fact that ‘Volk’ too seems to have a fight scheduled. But against whom? Well, the current 145-pound rankings seem to be in a mess. Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria are still listed as featherweights despite both soon moving permanently to lightweight. The next best-ranked contender is Diego Lopes, who just got his shot and failed to capture gold. In all certainty, Evloev should have been next in line. However, if we believe rumors, then the UFC is planning to book the Aussie against #4 ranked Yair Rodriguez at UFC 320 in Mexico as part of the promotion’s third Noche event in September.

Interestingly, Volkanovski and Rodriguez previously fought at UFC 290 which took place in July 2023. ‘The Great’ won it through TKO (punches) in round three.

Coming back to Evloev, having won all nine of his UFC fights by decision, Evloev’s lack of finishes and a grappling-heavy fighting style may be the main reasons the promotion is not eager to give him a title shot. As of now, Dana White has not announced his opponent. But when Ali Abdelaziz heard about the snub, he was furious as he lashed out at the top brass of the UFC. Let us have a look at what the Russian fighter’s manager had to say.

Movsar Evloev’s UFC snub gets the wrath of Ali Abdelaziz

Movsar Evloev was previously set to welcome former Bellator fighter Aaron Pico into the UFC. However, the bout never materialized as the Russian’s camp turned down the bout in favor of a title shot. Although Evloev has repeatedly stated that he will only accept a title fight, it is almost a done deal that he may need to prove his worth yet again before earning that opportunity.

With a career record of 19 victories and no defeats, the Russian is the most deserving candidate for a title shot, especially considering his wins over top-ranked fighters. Frustrated by the UFC’s continued snubbing of Evloev, his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, lashed out at the promotion’s top management during an interview with ESPN last week.

“It’s illegal for him not to be fighting next for the title because who’s above him, right? It’s crazy this guy is not even in the conversation. … They say he needs one more.”

Evloev is currently aiming to fight Alexander Volkanovski in December, but is it really possible for the champion to defend his title in September and be ready for another title fight in just three months? That sounds hectic. Volkanovski may indeed fight Evloev, but it’s unlikely to happen this year.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below!