Alexander Volkanovski’s coach backs unbeaten Movsar Evloev for title opportunity

The head coach of Alexander Volkanovski (left) believes Movsar Evloev (right) deserves the title shot next. [Image credit: @ufc, @movsar_evloev_94 on Instagram]

At UFC 314 last weekend, Alexander Volkanovski made a career comeback for the ages by recapturing the UFC featherweight title in a five-round battle with Diego Lopes. This came on the heels of Volkanovski suffering back-to-back KO losses and subsequently dropping his belt.

After taking a full year off, Volkanovski came back with a vengeance, showing the world that he's not over-the-hill just yet. The Aussie became the first man above 35 to win a UFC title in the lighter weight classes.

With the title back on his waist, a new set of challengers awaits Alexander Volkanovski. His coach, Joe Lopez, is eyeing Movsar Evloev as the one who deserves the shot next. During an interaction with Submission Radio, he said:

"Realisticallly, he [Evloev] does deserve [the shot] but there was no talk of him at all. At the presser...There was no real talk of him at all. Everyone was talking about Yair [Rodriguez] and everybody else except him, you know. It's a bit sad...I guess he's not a very, I guess, exciting and he doesn't bring much to the table. But he's unbeaten and he's on a run. If anyone deserves a shot, it's actually him, you know. But it's up to the powers-that-be, you know."

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Alexander Volkanovski after bouncing back and winning UFC title for a second time: "Adversity is a privilege"

In his post-fight octagon interview after winning the UFC featherweight title for a second time at UFC 314, Alexander Volkanovski said four powerful words that may forever be etched on the lexicon of MMA lore.

When asked how good it feels to bounce back after two straight KO losses, losing his title, and taking a year off, 'The Great' said:

"It's good to be back. For everyone watching, hey, adversity is a privilege. You hear people talk about that all the time. It truly is. This moment is incredible."

Instead of fighting a lower-ranked guy for a possible title eliminator, Volkanovski took a year off to regroup and then shot straight to the top. As a result, he's made history by reclaiming the top of his division.

Listen to Alexander Volkanovski's full post-fight speech here:

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Duane is an expert MMA writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience working for the likes of Philippine Star, Esquire Philippines, Playboy Philippines, etc. A major in English, he has written over 2000 articles for Sportskeeda section, extensively covering UFC and boxing fights.

Duane is a practicing MMA fighter with a 11-7 record. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt and trains Muay Thai. His connection with MMA dates back to 2005, when he turned into a fan after watching Fedor Emelianenko defeat Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic at Pride FC - Final Conflict 2005.

Emelianenko finds himself right at the top of Duane’s Mt. Rushmore of MMA fighters, alongside other big names like Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

Duane’s love for the sport is reflected in his writings, where he believes in speculating but not insinuating. He uses his intensive knowledge and skills in MMA to provide unique insights to the readers, along with sourcing information only from reliable sources.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi