Alexander Volkanovski believes Movsar Evloev has the skills to beat anyone in the UFC featherweight division…but not him.
The reigning featherweight champion is set to defend his title against the undefeated Evloev in the main event of UFC 333 on Oct. 24. Despite acknowledging his challenger's abilities, Volkanovski is confident that his skill set makes him a particularly difficult matchup for Evloev.
Speaking with Megan Olivi in an interview with UFC on Paramount+ this week, Volkanovski praised Evloev's winning record and all-around game while explaining why he believes the matchup favors him.
"He knows how to win," Volkanovski said. "He's undefeated, right?"
Volkanovski went on to describe Evloev as the division's toughest challenge, suggesting that the Russian's well-rounded skill set could cause problems for nearly every other contender at 145 pounds.
"I think he's the best outside myself," Volkanovski said. "I think he beats everyone else in the division. But when it comes to matchup stylistically, I believe (he is) one of the better matchups for me. I look at him being a bad matchup for everyone else except for me."
The champion acknowledged that Evloev has more tools at his disposal than some of the other fighters in the division, but believes those strengths will not be as effective against him.
"He's more well rounded, he's got a lot more tools, a lot more things he can do, but all these other things that give so many other people problems, they just don't give me any problem," Volkanovski said.
Evloev's undefeated record makes him a formidable challenger, and his ability to win over the course of five rounds could be a key factor in the championship bout. However, Volkanovski remains convinced that his experience, adaptability and skill set will prevent his opponent from executing his usual game plan.
"To try and beat me for 25 minutes is a pretty hard task," Volkanovski said. "… I just don't think anyone can beat me for 25 minutes. I know that's his usual path to victory. It's just not happening with me. I truly do believe that."
Despite his confidence, Volkanovski made it clear that his assessment is not a dismissal of Evloev's abilities. Instead, he believes the challenger's strengths simply do not translate as effectively against him as they do against other opponents.
"I've got a lot of respect for him, I've got a lot of respect for his skills, but them skills just aren't effective for me," Volkanovski said. "They're effective for everyone else, just not me."
