Movsar Evloev is finally getting his long-awaited title shot against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on October 24. The undefeated Russian earned the opportunity after beating Lerone Murphy at UFC London, improving his professional record to 20-0 and finally punching his ticket to UFC gold.
For the unversed, the win over Murphy was Evloev’s 10th straight inside the Octagon. A streak like that would normally be more than enough to earn a title opportunity much earlier. However, there has always been one major criticism of Evloev’s UFC run: he has yet to finish an opponent inside the Octagon.
All 10 of his UFC victories have come on the judges’ scorecards, with eight unanimous decisions, one majority decision, and one split decision. While that consistency has kept him undefeated, it has not exactly matched the entertainment factor the UFC often looks for when deciding which contenders get the biggest opportunities.
That became even more noticeable when Diego Lopes, who lost decisively to Volkanovski at UFC 314, received another title shot at UFC 325 after beating Jean Silva. The key difference? Lopes finished Silva in brutal fashion.
Now, UFC legend Demetrious Johnson has questioned how Evloev managed to stay with the promotion for so long, let alone earn a title shot, despite having no UFC knockouts or submissions.
Demetrious Johnson Calls Out UFC for Cutting Michael “Venom” Page While Keeping Movsar Evloev
As mentioned, Evloev has picked up 10 UFC wins, with eight coming by unanimous decision, one by majority decision and one by split decision. Across his entire 20-fight career, the Russian has just three knockouts and four submissions, all of which came before he joined the UFC.
There is no denying the quality of Evloev’s resume. The 32-year-old has beaten notable names such as Lerone Murphy, Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes, Aljamain Sterling and Dan Ige. Still, his lack of finishes has clearly been a talking point throughout his rise.
Johnson brought that up during a recent episode of the Precision podcast, saying, “Well, something came into my mind, you say he’s undefeated, 20-0, no finishes, how the f**k is he still in the UFC?”
The former UFC flyweight champion then brought up Michael “Venom” Page, who was recently released by the promotion after going 5-1 without a finish during his UFC run. Johnson added, “Like, I’m just saying, they just cut (Michael Venom Page). But when you think about it, the UFC is so gung-ho, cutting people who aren’t exciting, no knockouts, and it’s like, they just got rid of MVP, you know, he’s not knocking people out, but he’s doing some flashy s**t in there.”
Johnson continued, “Movsar Evloev does know how to win, but that’s the thing that came to mind when you say he’s undefeated with no knockouts; I’m like, how is he still here? Not even a submission? Wow.”
Demetrious Johnson WENT OFF on Movsar Evloev and questions how he’s still in the UFC after 10 fights with no finishes 😳
🗣️DJ: “Undefeated, 20-0, no finishes, how the f-ck is he still in the UFC?… Not even a submission?”
🗣️IA: “He’s a grappler with no finishes or no knockouts.”
(Via @MightyMouse @stylebender / YT)
— Title Fight (@TitleFightMedia) October 5, 2026
However, Alexander Volkanovski, who was also a guest on the podcast, came to Evloev’s defense. The reigning featherweight champion believes the Russian has more than earned his place at the top of the division and arguably should have received his title opportunity much sooner.
Volkanovski also opened up about the criticism and booing he has received ahead of UFC 333, admitting that the crowd reaction at the press conference was getting into his head more than he would have liked.
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Evloev is certainly not the first fighter to have his title aspirations affected by a lack of finishes. Leon Edwards, Jon Fitch and Belal Muhammad have all faced similar criticism during their UFC careers despite putting together impressive winning streaks.
Now, though, Evloev finally has the opportunity he has been chasing. Against Volkanovski in Abu Dhabi, the undefeated Russian can silence the doubters in the best possible way: by winning the featherweight title.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
