Movsar Evloev will do anything it takes to leave UFC 333 with featherweight gold, and he doesn't think Alexander Volkanovski is capable of stopping him.
Evloev (20-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC) finally gets his long-awaited first title opportunity on Oct. 24 when he challenges Volkanovski (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) for the title in the headliner at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi (Paramount+). It's taken a perfect run inside the octagon over more than seven years and many hiccups along the way, but he's now on the doorstep of the moment every fighter dreams of.
"To become a champion while beating a legend, that's the dream of fighters," Evloev told MMA Junkie. "My skills are getting better. My striking, everyone noticed, is a little bit better than I do before.
We're confident to fight with a guy like Alex. We respect him. We'll respect him even after we beat him. Nothing but respect, but this is my time."
Evloev, 32, has found great success in the cage by using a grappling-heavy style of fighting. Volkanovski, 37, dared him to stick to that and vowed to shut it down, stating that "it's going to be striking because I make it."
On the contrary, Evloev said if UFC 333 becomes a standup fight, it will be by his doing and not Volkanovski's. However, that's not the approach he's taking.
"He's been a little illogical," Evloev said. "He said, 'Don't you dare to strike.' And then, 'We'll be striking because I will make it striking fight.' I will do anything I want. Whenever I decide to take him down, I will take him down. I'm not scared of his striking skills, too. He's great. But like I said, my time is coming. Oct. 24, everybody will see.
"Even if he's right (and I can't hold him down), I will take him down as much as needed. If I need to take him down 100 times, even more, I will do it. It's just 25 minutes. I will enjoy each second of this time. Even if I need to take him down every second, I will do it. Nobody will stop me."
Ultimately, Evloev is on a mission at UFC 333 and plans to be a freight train that Volkanovski can't derail. Volkanovski said he would retire if things go "horribly wrong" for the fight, and Evloev said his ultimate way to pay tribute would be to usher a man he considers the featherweight GOAT out on a loss.
"I'm going to win," Evloev said. "But anything can happen. You can be a favorite 10-1 or 100-1, but one punch can stop everything you prepared. Of course I'm ready for this too. I will do everything to win, but anything can happen, especially when you fight with a guy like him. We respect him enough, but we're not going to give him more respect to let him win this fight."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Movsar Evloev: 'I will do anything I want' to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333
