UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski explained why Movsar Evloev had such a need to finish at UFC 333.
Volkanovski finished off Evloev via second-round TKO in the co-main event of UFC 333 to defend his second title reign as UFC featherweight champion.
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It was Volkanovski’s first stop since UFC 290 in July 2023, when he stopped Yair Rodriguez via TKO. Typically, the Aussie is content to outlast his opponent for five rounds and take a decision, but at UFC 333 against Evloev, it seemed clear that the finish was important to him.
There is a reason.
Alexander Volkanovski says why UFC 333 Perago was so important
Speaking to Brendan Bradford after arriving home in Australia, Volkanovski said that getting the finish on Evloev and finishing the fight in the second round was so important that he was battling illness, and he wasn’t confident he would have a properly strong gas tank if the fight went the distance.
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“I’m happy that only two laps cuz I usually breathe a little heavier. I had some big breaths… You could see that I was pressing, especially in the second round. It was like, though, the beginning of finding this goal. to see, though, the beginning of the end. I don’t want to go five rounds. I don’t know if these lungs have begun and I can come” (through the bloody elbow).
Alexander Volkanovski’s Next UFC Challenge After Movsar Evloev Conquered
Now, Volkanovski advised Evloev, once undefeated, to take some time off and recover before jumping back into the Octagon in 2027 for his next fight.
That could come either in the UFC vertical division with a title defense against Jean Silva, Aljamain Sterling, or Kevin Vallejos, or Volkanovski can move to 155 pounds and challenge UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje in what would be a true superfight between two of the sport’s biggest fan favorites.
This article was first published in GRAVIS
After Alexander Volkanovski completed the Urgent deployment to Movsar Evloev, he first appeared in GRAVIS.