Evloev is one of the people already on that list of elite emerging threats in the 145-pound weight class, as the 26-year-old Russian is 13-0 and enters this weekend’s fight card looking for a fourth straight UFC victory when he takes on fellow former M-1 Challenge titleholder Nate Landwehr.
A motorcycle accident early in the year pushed Evloev’s season debut back to July, but when he did finally step into the cage, he showed why so many people are high on his potential by securing a unanimous decision victory over dangerous British grappler Mike Grundy.
Evloev is part of the generation of upstarts that is extremely well-rounded in the cage, boasting clean, technical striking, excellent grappling, and strong conditioning, making him a handful to deal with wherever the fight takes place. He’s already made the smart decision to move up in weight after beginning his career competing at bantamweight, and he should only continue to improve as he enters his athletic prime and continues to gain experience against high level competition.
This bout with Landwehr should be a good measuring stick of where Evloev stands at the moment as the 32-year-old Tennessee native is an unrelenting, aggressive fighter who is happy to take one to land one, trusting that his chin will hold up and his shots will do more damage. Thus far, Evloev has been able to dictate the terms of engagement in each of his first three UFC starts, but Landwehr may have different ideas, which will force the promising Russian prospect to show he can make adjustments and deal with a pressure fighter bringing the fight to him.
Should he come away from his North American debut with his unbeaten record intact, it will be difficult to deny Evloev a chance to face a Top 15 opponent when his 2021 campaign gets underway.
