Who Should Evloev Fight Next in Wake of Sterling Withdrawal?

Movsar Evloev is in need of a new opponent next month. Earlier this week, it was reported that former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling would be dropping out of his scheduled UFC 307 bout opposite the surging Russian featherweight. While the loss of the fight is certainly disappointing, considering how the two have been waging wars of words on social media lately, that doesn’t mean Evloev isn’t off the card entirely.

Check out down below for a few options that the undefeated wrestler could consider should he wish to keep fighting in October.

Diego Lopes 

Just this past weekend, Diego Lopes announced himself to the 145-lb. division’s  top brass with a big win over southern California jiu-jitsu ace Brian Ortega, battering the featherweight staple over the course of three rounds. The victory may very well have earned the Brazilian standout a gold-glove bout, but with former champion Alexander Volkanovski possibly next in line for a shot, Lopes may find himself sitting on the sidelines for some time. 

That is unless he decides to make a quick turn around to face Evloev at UFC 307. Although there wouldn’t be a belt on the line, the matchup may mean more to the dazzling Lopes, as he and the Russian have history together.

More than a year ago, these two crossed paths in the Octagon at UFC 288, where Lopes made his promotional debut. The newcomer gave Evloev an incredibly tough test, but the wrestling of the Russian proved to be too much for Lopes, who ended up losing the contest via a close unanimous decision win.  

Backup for Topuria vs Holloway

As it currently stands, the featherweight title match between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway is without a backup fighter. Given the sudden influx rate of fight cancellations due to injuries this year alone, the prospects of Evloev landing himself a championship opportunity or a fight against a legend aren’t all that low.

Throughout all his battles during his time as an all-time great in the division, Holloway has never come across an opponent with the wrestling ability that Evloev possesses. While “Blessed” would have the definite edge in the striking department, perhaps the grindy style of the Greco-Roman Master of Sport could be the great equalizer that produces a monumental upset.

As for a possible scrap with the reigning champion, Topuria, it’s pretty hard to doubt the one-punch knockout power that the Spaniard wields. To his credit, Evloev has shown to be rather durable after his run ins with Diego Lopes and Arnold Allen, and perhaps the chin can hold out just long enough for him to land the pivotal takedowns.

Alexander Volkanovski 

Should the scheduled fight between Holloway and Topuria go down without a hitch, it will be a bit of a wait until the next top challenger will get his chance to battle for the 145-lb. strap. In the meantime, while the winner of that bout heals up, the UFC could potentially set the stage for a huge number one contender matchup between Evloev and Alexander Volkanovski either later this year or earlier in 2025. 

Having not fought since dropping his belt to “El Matador” back in February, Volkanovski seems all but guaranteed to earn an immediate title fight upon his return to the cage. In the event he wishes to compete sooner, however, a victory over another undefeated phenom in Evloev would easily propel “The Great” into championship contention once again. 

For the Russian, if he is able to defeat the former five-time defending champion, especially in statement-making fashion, then a pay-per-view main event is all but assured. That’s not to say that fight will be easy for Evloev, as Volkanovski has stood, and grappled, with arguably the best wrestler in the sport, Islam Makhachev, for 25 minutes and came out on top in some people’s eyes.

But given the nature of the knockout that the previous title holder had received from Topuria a mere seven months ago, it may just be time for a high-profile changing of the guard within the utmost elite of the featherweight class.