Veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan expressed considerable admiration for Movsar Evloev’s recent performance against Lerone Murphy. In the main event of last Saturday’s UFC London, Evloev demonstrated a willingness to engage in striking exchanges with the powerful knockout artist Murphy, even while fighting in his opponent’s home country. The 32-year-old Russian fighter maintained a consistent offensive output, landed more impactful strikes that visibly affected Murphy’s face, and secured multiple takedowns. These efforts were sufficient to hand Murphy his first professional loss. After a grueling five rounds of intense back-and-forth action, Evloev secured a majority decision victory, finishing the fight strongly.
Despite some debate within the MMA community regarding the judges’ scoring, with some believing Murphy (“The Miracle”) should have won, Joe Rogan specifically commended Evloev for his strategy. Rogan praised Evloev for choosing to deliver an exciting stand-up battle rather than solely relying on his grappling skills.
During his podcast, Rogan urged the UFC organization to arrange a featherweight bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev for June 14. He suggested this fight could significantly “spice up” the rumored UFC Freedom 250 event, potentially held at the White House. Rogan stated: “Evloev was very impressive. The fact that he was able to stand with [Murphy] was very impressive… I hope the UFC doesn’t f**k him again… White House Lawn, let’s go. Give the man a couple of months off. We are only in March. It’s in June. Common. Spice that card up, baby.”
Following his majority decision win over Lerone Murphy at UFC London, Murphy displayed remarkable sportsmanship in defeat. He explicitly called for the UFC to grant Evloev the next title shot, saying: “One thing I would like to say. Make sure Movsar Evloev gets the title shot. That man deserves it. He is next in line. I will be back, don’t worry.”
Meanwhile, Evloev, having solidified his position as a top featherweight contender, wasted no time in challenging the reigning champion, Alexander Volkanovski. He declared: “Alex [Volkanovski] gently mentioned my name a lot of times, and I am accepting his challenge. Let’s f**king fight. UFC, there are no excuses for not letting me fight for the title. I have nothing to say.”
UFC CEO Dana White has not yet confirmed whether Evloev will be the next challenger for the featherweight title. During the post-fight press conference, White commented: “Possibly, yeah. I’m not even thinking about that; the fight just ended. But yeah [Evloev] is in a great position.”
