Don't add T.J. Dillashaw to the list of UFC legends taking aim at Movsar Evloev.
Ahead of UFC 333 on Saturday, where Evloev (20-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC) will challenge Alexander Volkanovski (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) for the featherweight title in the main event at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi (Paramount+), multiple UFC Hall of Famers have come out with criticism of the unbeaten contender.
First it was former flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson, who wondered how Evloev is still on the UFC roster after securing zero stoppage wins in 10 winning octagon appearances. Then it was featherweight icon Jose Aldo, who said he would cut Evloev if he doesn't win at UFC 333 because he "doesn’t sell, puts on boring fights, and doesn’t draw attention."
The critiques come in the midst of UFC opting not to re-sign unbeaten 135-pound fighter Farid Basharat despite a 16-0 record in MMA and 7-0 run under the UFC banner. The debate about whether the company values the true best fighters in the world is present, with Joe Rogan stating he "doesn't like" Basharat not being brought back.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dillashaw sides with Rogan in the argument and opposed his fellow fighters.
“You've got to respect it," Dillashaw told MMA Junkie. "This is a sport. I understand it's also entertainment, but the guy has proved himself. He deserves the title shot. He's very dominant in one aspect of fighting. Yeah, it might not be the most entertaining, but be better at defending it.
"We've just seen (Petr) Yan do it against Merab (Dvalishvili) in his last fight. Not saying Merab's boring, but he's going for a takedown, and Yan did a very good job defending it. That's what made the fight the way it was. Get better at defending. You've got to hold it to the other fighters as well. Don't get held down on your back. Get up."
UFC CEO Dana White was asked directly about this topic at the UFC 333 pre-fight press conference, and while he said Evloev is in a "good spot" at the moment, he also refused to make any assurances about what could happen down the line. But Dillashaw urges Evloev to block out that noise.
"You can't blame the guy for winning," Dillashaw said. "He's maybe not going to build a big enough brand for himself because he fights the way he does. That's his fault. But you can't not give him the title shot and bag on him for it. He can't let all those people get into his head and dictate how he fights, or it's just going to throw him off.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ex-champ pushes back on UFC legend's calls to cut Movsar Evloev