Movsar Evloev blames Ramadan after narrowly surviving multiple submission scares against short-notice debutant

Movsar Evloev was originally scheduled to take on Bryce Mitchell on the UFC 288 main card.

However, Brazilian debutant Diego Lopes stepped in to face Evloev on three-days notice after 'Thug Nasty' was forced to pull out due to a back injury.

Lopes, 21-5, was a +600 underdog, the biggest on the card, going into his UFC debut against the undefeated featherweight prospect. However, the 28-year-old questioned the odds early on, evidently rocking Evloev in the opening round.

A jiu-jitsu coach himself, Lopes didn't seem out of his depth on the ground against the ace Russian grappler. The Brazilian even managed to lock Evloev in an armbar which briefly looked dangerous.

Evloev shifted the momentum in the second round, landing significant damage from dominant top position pretty much throughout the round. The Russian carried on with the same gameplan in the third round but was caught in a kimura in the final minute.

Evloev displayed excellent submission defense in escaping the kimura only to be caught in a kneebar in the final seconds of the fight. Movsar Evloev rode out the clock trapped in the kneebar to earn a unanimous decision win.

Despite the foiled debut, Diego Lopes will reportedly earn his show and win money for his valiant effort .

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Movsar Evloev blames Ramadan fasting after squeezing out a decision win at UFC 288

Movsar Evloev extended his perfect record to 17-0 with his victory over Diego Lopes at UFC 288. Evloev acknowledged Lopes as an opponent with 'big experience' as well the danger posed by the Brazilian on the ground.

The Russian also admitted to being a bit slow for which he blamed his recent Ramadan fasting. Evloev, who had himself accepted the booking on three weeks notice, asked for a minimun notice period of six weeks for his next fight. The 29-year-old said:

"You know six weeks before fight is enough time. After Ramadan I had only two weeks for this fight. Because of that I was little bit slowly."

Asked to make a post-fight callout, Evloev said:

"A lot of fighters don't wanna fight against me. But maybe [Brian] Ortega, maybe [The Korean] Zombie. Doesn't matter. Maybe someone else. I need big names."

Catch Movsar Evloev's comments below: