Former longtime featherweight champion Jose Aldo believes a perfect record is not enough to guarantee a roster spot in the modern UFC. His blunt, business-first take comes right as No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev prepares for the biggest fight of his life.
Evloev enters the weekend at 20-0 overall, riding a dominant 10-0 run inside the Octagon. However, all 10 of his UFC victories came by decision, leaving him with zero promotional stoppages. Aldo thinks Evloev’s fighting style is boring and did not mince words about how he would handle Evloev’s career if he ran the organization.
Jose Aldo Says He Would Cut Movsar Evloev After a First Loss
Evloev, the division’s top-ranked contender, faces champion Alexander Volkanovski this Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the championship bout, Aldo explained to MMA Fighting that the UFC runs purely as an entertainment entity rather than a strict ranking ladder.
“The UFC isn’t just an organization that has to follow a ranking system. It’s a business; it’s entertainment,” the Hall of Famer said. “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.”
Jose Aldo admits he would cut Movsar Evloev if he were the #UFC boss 👀
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— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 20, 2026
“He could beat everybody,” Aldo continued. “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.”
Johnson’s critique points to a recent trend of the UFC dropping successful fighters who lack entertainment value. In September 2026, the promotion chose not to re-sign Michael Page despite his 5-1 UFC record and a final victory over Nursulton Ruziboev. White and the matchmakers parted ways with the 39-year-old because they felt his style had become too passive and lacked finishes.
The UFC followed the same approach with undefeated bantamweight Farid Basharat (16-0) and Peruvian standout Daniel Marcos (18-1 overall, 5-1 UFC). The promotion let both men go immediately after they won their final contract fights. In all three cases, the front office refused to renew contracts because the fighters relied on low-finish or control-heavy styles.
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Aldo groups Evloev into this exact category because of how the front office views his record. The 32-year-old’s last outing was a five-round majority decision victory over Lerone Murphy. Before that, he defeated Aljamain Sterling and Arnold Allen. But his style has continuously raised eyebrows. UFC CEO Dana White called the Allen bout the least interesting fight he had ever seen.
However, Evloev rejected those “boring” labels, arguing that a fight does not need a stoppage to be high quality. His opponent, Volkanovski, also defended Evloev, noting that a lack of finishes naturally explains his long wait for a title shot.
But Aldo sees the featherweight division through both a competitive and commercial lens. He ruled the weight class until Conor McGregor knocked him out at UFC 194 in December 2015. He favors explosive strikers like Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway, and he praises aggressive fighters like Jean Silva and Alex Pereira, who put on a show even when they lose. Because of that, he is picking Volkanovski this Saturday out of respect for the champion.
