Movsar Evloev reacts to Yair Rodriguez's call for title shot after UFC 314: 'You have to beat me first'
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Movsar Evloev wants his crack at the UFC featherweight title. And if that doesn’t happen, he wants whomever the UFC sees as the No. 1 contender.
Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has campaigned for a title shot for quite some time, but he hasn’t been able to secure it. He’s hoping to be next now that there’s a champion in the division, given that Alexander Volkanovski won the vacant belt this past Saturday in the main event of UFC 314 in Miami.
However, fan-favorite Yair Rodriguez also wants in, which could be problematic for Evloev’s title dreams.
“Yair, if you want to fight for the title, you have to beat me first, and then you deserve it,” Evloev told MMA Junkie.
Rodriguez called for a rematch with Volkanovski after defeating former Bellator champion Patricio Freire at UFC 314. Evloev said the Mexican had a good showing but still not enough to merit a championship fight as he was coming off two consecutive defeats.
“I think it was the best fight for Yair Rodriguez in forever, and with ‘Pitbull,’ he’s a dangerous opponent, but I don’t think that’s enough to fight for the tile,” Evloev said. “Because he had his chance, and he just skipped it.”
Evloev is training and ready to fight in a UFC championship fight whenever needed. He’s even willing to sit on the sidelines should Volkanovski need more time before a title defense.
“If Volkanovski is looking for the fight with me, I can wait and improve myself and stay ready, improve my skills, everything,” Evloev said. “Even if it’s like September, October, December, it doesn’t matter. I can wait as much as he needs. But if they have another one for the title, I’m not going to wait too much.”