At 15-0, Evloev has been on the outside looking in at the division’s Top 15 until Dan Ige agreed to face him on this weekend’s UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Rozenstruik card. It was the perfect scenario for the 28-year-old, who has been sidelined thanks to injuries since he defeated Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 263 last June.
The time off allowed Evloev to heal up and continue adding to his game with his coaches at American Top Team. Now that it’s finally fight week, he can’t wait to seize his greatest opportunity to date.
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“I’ve been waiting to fight for a whole year. I can’t wait,” Evloev told UFC.com. “Right now, we are almost at the finish line, and nothing can stop me.”
Evloev’s five wins in the UFC have proved that he is the real deal and absolutely should be competing against the top fighters in the featherweight division. Although he doesn’t feel like he’s earning the respect that he deserves, he isn’t concerned if people are dropping his name when talking about future featherweight title contenders.
He knows that will all change if things go according to plan against Ige.
“I don’t care if people forgot about me or not. All I need to do is enter the Octagon to remind them of who I am,” Evloev said. “This Saturday, I’m going to show the whole world that I’m the real contender for the belt.”
Beating the 10th-ranked 145-pounder in the world would be a statement win for Evloev. But what’s important to him isn’t necessarily getting the win; it’s defeating Ige in style that matters.
“It’s going to be exciting, but only from my side,” Evloev said. “I’m going to impose my will and break his heart.”
Not long ago, Ige ripped off a six-fight winning streak, which included wins over Mirsad Bektic and Edson Barboza. Those wins propelled Ige into main event bouts with Calvin Kattar and Chan Sung Jung. He’s a highly respected fighter and the perfect type of opponent for Evloev at this stage in his UFC career.
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Defeating Ige in dominating fashion is exactly the type of statement win that Evloev has been looking to register in the UFC. It would earn him some more credit and likely thrust him into the mix for some even bigger fights against the top tier featherweights in the world.
That’s where Evloev feels he belongs, and that’s why he believes he’ll be fighting for the featherweight belt sooner rather than later. Evloev isn’t looking past Ige, but he is confident that he has the right skill set to defeat any man that steps in the Octagon with him.
And that’s why Evloev believes he’ll be 16-0 when all is said and done on Saturday.
“Ige is a good, well-rounded fighter just like everyone else in the Top 15 of the featherweight division, but him being that good isn’t going to help him,” Evloev said. “Just like it’s not going to help anyone else. I’m coming for everyone.”
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With Evloev’s only goal becoming a world champion, he knows he needs to finish Ige and then continue his momentum with another big win or two before he can cement himself in the title picture. Those are the ideal ingredients for Evloev’s perfect 2022.
All that’s left for him to do is make it happen.
