Movsar Evloev credits “good fans who know MMA” as the reason why he’s still under contract with the UFC despite having zero finishes in the Octagon, but MMA legend Jose Aldo says the UFC featherweight contender could be on borrowed time.
In fact, the former 145-pound king would actually defend letting him go due to his “boring” history.
Evloev is 10-0 in the UFC with 10 decision victories, capped off by a majority decision win over Lerone Murphy in March, and will challenge Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi. Aldo said the undefeated Russian “is not a guy who really interests me,” because he would much rather watch striking-oriented fighters like Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.
“The UFC isn’t just an organization that has to follow a ranking system,” Aldo told MMA Fighting. “It’s a business, it’s entertainment. It’s not a matter of, ‘I’m number one, so I have to fight for the title.’ No. Evloev is ranked No. 1 in the division, if I’m not mistaken, and if I were the president, I’d never put him in there. He could beat everybody. I’d wait for him to lose for the first time and then cut him because he’s a guy who doesn’t sell, a guy who puts on boring fights, a guy who doesn’t draw attention, who just stays inactive. So why would I give him that opportunity? I want to sell out my arena. I want my event to grow. There’s a lot involved.”
It’s been a hot topic of discussion around the UFC lately that the promotion seems to be more interested in signing — and keeping — athletes who are willing to stand and trade and finish fights. For Aldo, it makes sense when it’s what fans ultimately want to watch.
“Jean Silva could lose three fights, but he’s a guy who comes forward, a guy who puts on a show,” Aldo said. “That’s what fans want to see. ‘Poatan’ was already almost 35 when he joined the UFC, and he kept growing. He became champion in one division and then champion in another. And in terms of technical skills, let’s be honest, he doesn’t have an all-around skill set. He has a good level of kickboxing. His kickboxing is excellent, world-class. But let’s look at it: his wrestling is still developing, he’s still training his ground game, and he’s still developing in that area. So there are certain things he still needs to work on. But the guy is a Mike Tyson. He goes in there and knocks people out. There are so many things you have to consider that, to me, this guy is one of the greatest of all-time.
“Just like I say about Jon Jones, who has every skill in the game. He’s a guy who sells. He’s like Maradona, who does stupid things outside the sport, but when he gets in there, he destroys people and puts on a show. He’s got charisma, he’s got everything. Everybody likes him. Everybody wants to watch him fight. It’s not just a matter of, ‘Fuck, I beat everybody.’ You beat everybody by laying and praying, drawing no attention, and nobody talks about anything. You know? There are a lot of things you have to weigh to determine whether someone is good or bad.”
Aldo has also taken issue with Evloev’s recent comments to MMAjunkie about himself and former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Anthony Pettis, who Evloev said didn’t stay “on the same level after doping tests.” Aldo and Silva had decade-long reigns in their divisions before losing their belts in 2015 and 2013, respectively, but Aldo still manager to re-claim the title and even challenge for another belt at bantamweight at 33 years of age.
“One thing I’ve learned from being around soccer, which I spend a lot of time around these days,” Aldo said. “Is that Ronaldinho Gaúcho always says: ‘The good ones never cause any trouble. It’s the bad ones, the ones who are shit, who talk and think they’re somebody.’ Fuck, a guy comes out talking about this… Now I’ve stopped [fighting], and I think [Paulo Costa] ‘Borrachinha’ may have surpassed me, but I’ve always been tested like crazy, and nothing ever came up. Unlike the Russians. We know the history of Russians in the Olympics, with WADA and all that. So, fuck, he’s going to come talk to us about doping? Especially when he’s a ghost in the division. Nobody knows who he is. He’s only getting attention now because he’s about to fight, but if you look at the division, it’s been stagnant. Diego also got two opportunities because of that, because the division has been stagnant.
“I wouldn’t say it’s immaturity, but it’s unfortunate for him to bring this up. Because then I’d have to talk about several other athletes who became champions and then lost quickly afterward and say it was because of doping. If that’s the case, when I fought Conor [McGregor], I was being tested three times a day while the guy was only tested on fight day. So can I say I lost because of doping? No, I lost because the guy landed a good shot on me, regardless of whether he was on something or not, and he won the fight. Like I told you, as Ronaldinho Gaúcho says, the good ones don’t cause any trouble. The ones who cause trouble are the ones who think they’re hot shit.”
Aldo will be rooting for Volkanovski at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 and that’s not because of Evloev’s recent comments. He wants the Australian star and former opponent to succeed even if that means surpassing his record for most title defenses in UFC featherweight history.
“I’m not really driven by ego when it comes to saying, ‘I have to be the greatest,’” Aldo said. “Every generation will have its own great fighters, and everyone will think one was better than another. Then it keeps going like that, so I don’t really care about it. Volk, I also have a special affection for him. Both he and Max came along toward the end of my career, so to speak. I’m rooting for him. I hope he can win the fight, come out of it healthy, and get the victory. I have absolutely no problem with him surpassing me or tying my record. It’s because I have a completely different mindset. I don’t have that ego when it comes to other people, fighters, or any of that.
“I’ve never had that kind of ego. What I do have is an understanding of how difficult life is for an MMA fighter trying to make it to the top, compete, become champion, and stay champion. You’re killing a lion every single day, so there are many things going on around you that have a significant impact. I know how difficult it is, not just for him, but for any athlete. I always root for them to make it to the top and win, to capture titles and, in doing so, secure their future. I want them to be able to build a life for themselves and their families down the road.”
“I hope he can go out there and defend his title successfully,” he added. “Of course, if you’re talking about a fight against Jean Silva, then I’m rooting for Jean Silva. If it’s a fight against Diego, I’m rooting for Diego. They’re Brazilians, so I’m always rooting for them because it’s much harder to make it to the top, fight for a title, win it, and stay champion here in Brazil, you know? I’ll always root for them, but for this particular fight, I’m rooting for Volk.”