Alexander Volkanovski says no chance Movsar Evloev holds him down.
Volkanovski (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defends his featherweight title against Movsar Evloev (20-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC) in the UFC 333 main event (Paramount+) on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Evloev edged out Lerone Murphy at UFC Fight Night 270 to cement himself as No. 1 contender in a fight where he found success with his takedowns, but opted to stand and trade for the most part. Volkanovski says choosing to strike with him is a bad idea.
"People are worried. People are going to sit there and go, 'Ah is it going to be another boring fight?'" Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia. "He ain't holding me down. It's going to be a striking fight because I'm going to keep it there. He tried
it in the Lerone Murphy fight to stand up, which I didn't like. I get it: He's trying to impress everyone and all that stuff.
"You're this undefeated guy with this style. I don't care if people think it's boring. Who cares? Let's see if that new style works with me – it ain't. Don't you dare try and just strike with me to entertain the fans. It's going to be striking because I'm going to make it. You come with your ultimate game plan, it's going to be exciting because I'm going to force you to fight on your feet, not because you're choosing to."
Volkanovski has considered Evloev as a worthy title challenger for a while, but it took wins over Arnold Allen, Aljamain Sterling, and Murphy for the undefeated Russian to earn his opportunity.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Alexander Volkanovski warns Movsar Evloev: 'Don't you dare try to strike with me'
