Evloev on Volkanovski: "He's not so special" that he will avoid the stand-up

Movsar Evloev says he has no plan to hide from Alexander Volkanovski on the feet. "He's not so special that I'd avoid his striking and jump straight to wrestling," the 20-0 challenger told CBS Sports in an interview published on 20 October, four days before their featherweight title fight at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi.

Evloev also explained why he thinks his grappling is different from what Volkanovski has faced. "My wrestling is different. My takedowns are different. I have good timing," he said. He added that Volkanovski had been focused on Mauricio Ruffy's camp for UFC 331, and that the champion "would do better to focus on his own fight."

The 32-year-old has waited a long time for this chance, and said a win would make everything that came before feel like it happened for a reason. CBS Sports reports he plans to celebrate with a tiramisu, ending three years without added sugar. He also has nearly two million Instagram followers watching the result.

Asked about Jean Silva, who has been calling him out, Evloev was dismissive: "When dogs bark, you leave them alone." On talk that Volkanovski, 38, could retire after Saturday, he struck a different tone: "I'd feel sad about that. I want to see more of his fights."

Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC fights since debuting in 2019, with wins over Dan Ige, Diego Lopes, Arnold Allen, Aljamain Sterling and, in March, Lerone Murphy. He meets Volkanovski in the main event at Etihad Arena on Saturday 24 October.

UFC 333: Volkanovski vs EvloevSat 24 Oct · Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi See tickets

Source: CBS Sports, CBS Sports