Alexander Volkanovsky - Movsar Evloev: betting tip (cf 1.77) and bets on the fight

Current form 

Alexander Volkanovsky is approaching another title defense in the status of one of the most experienced and titled fighters of the division. The Australian recently celebrated his 38th birthday, but is still able to demonstrate the highest level of mixed martial arts. In January, at UFC 325, he confidently dealt with Diego Lopez, winning by unanimous decision. This success was his second victory over the Brazilian and allowed him to gain a foothold at the top of the featherweight division after heavy failures in fights with Ilya Topuria and Islam Makhachev.

Volkanovsky has long earned a place among the greatest representatives of his category. His arsenal includes high-quality striking techniques, competent footwork, the ability to control the distance and change tactics in a timely manner. The Australian perfectly reads the actions of rivals, knows how to destroy their plans and maintain concentration even in the most difficult situations. The struggle of Volkanovsky deserves special attention. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated good protection against transfers and the ability to climb off the floor, but meeting with Yevloev will be a serious test for him in this particular component. During the championship period, the Australian was rarely confronted by rivals with such a pronounced wrestling bias.

One of the most significant examples remains the first duel with Islam Makhachev. Then the Russian made four successful takedowns out of nine attempts and controlled Volkanovski in total in the stalls for 7 minutes 37 seconds. At the same time, Makhachev was noticeably larger than the Australian and possessed a versatile arsenal that allowed him to successfully operate not only in wrestling. In the rematch, Islam no longer relied on transfers, but the first fight clearly showed that even Volkanovsky's elite defense does not guarantee his safety against the masters of control.

The Australian has 28 professional wins, including 13 knockouts, three submission wins and 12 referee decisions, as well as four defeats. Volkanovski became the first native of Australia to win the UFC championship belt. Before joining the largest MMA organization, he competed in the Australian Fighting Championship, where he also held the featherweight title. In addition, the fighter has experience in professional boxing performances.

In the period from 2022 to 2023, Volkanovsky twice topped the ranking of the best UFC fighters, regardless of weight category, and in 2022 he received the Fighter of the Year award according to the World MMA Awards. He shares with Jose Aldo the record for the most wins in UFC featherweight title fights. The Australian also became the oldest champion in the category, winning the belt at the age of 36, and later set an age record among fighters who successfully defended the title. His technical base includes Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and Thai boxing.

Current form

Movsar Yevloev has finally landed the title shot he's been waiting for for several years. The Russian is approaching the main fight of his career with a perfect record: ten wins in the UFC and twenty fights won at the professional level without a single defeat. In his last performance, he defeated Leron Murphy by a majority decision.

The meeting with Murphy showed that the Russian is able to confidently work in a stand against a serious striker. Instead of constantly looking for an opportunity to transfer his opponent to the stalls, Yevloev used boxing techniques more often, combined attacks and tried to outplay his opponent due to accuracy and tactical discipline. Some viewers were dissatisfied with the pace and entertainment of the meeting, but for the challenger, the main thing was something else: he proved that he could achieve results not only through fighting.

Prior to that, Yevloev had successfully passed the tests in fights with Aljamain Sterling and Arnold Allen. In both cases, the Russian demonstrated his characteristic fighting style: constant pressure, tenacious grips, timely transfers and the ability to deprive rivals of space for comfortable work. His style does not always involve an abundance of spectacular episodes, but it is great for scoring points and gradually suppressing an opponent.

In terms of size, Yevloev is slightly superior to Volkanovsky, so he should not rely on simple physical dominance. His main weapon is technique, perseverance, and the ability to link individual wrestling episodes into long—lasting attacking sequences. In this regard, the Russian is really capable of creating serious problems for the champion. At the same time, it is not entirely correct to compare him directly with Makhachev: Islam has a more versatile arsenal and is able to act with equal confidence in different phases of the battle. Yevloev, first of all, seeks to impose a fight on his opponent and gain an advantage in the stalls.

Movsar started his professional career in 2014. Before joining the UFC, the 32-year-old fighter competed in M-1 Global, where he achieved champion status in the lightest weight category. In April 2017, the Russian knocked out Alexei Nevzorov in the second round and won the interim championship belt. Already in July, he defeated Pavel Vitruk by unanimous decision, combining the titles.

In February 2018, Yevloev defended his championship, forcing Sergey Morozov to give up after a choke from the back in the third round. The next defense took place in July of the same year: the Russian knocked out Rafael Diaz in the fifth round. Subsequently, he released his belt and signed a contract with the UFC, where he gradually worked his way up from a promising newcomer to a contender for the main division title.