Alexander Volkanovski: Movsar Evloev Has Incredible Wrestling, But That Won't Be Enough Against Me

Takedowns have been the cornerstone of Movsar Evloev's impressive UFC run, but featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has warned his challenger that wrestling alone will not secure him the title at UFC 333.

Volkanovski can etch his name into the history books with the most featherweight title fight victories if he gets past Evloev on October 24 in Abu Dhabi. The Australian is acutely aware of the Russian contender's elite grappling pedigree. Evloev remains unbeaten with a 10-0 record in the UFC and a 20-0 overall professional mark, racking up 49 takedowns in the Octagon. Notably, 22 of those came in bouts against Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, and Diego Lopes.

Over the past decade, Volkanovski has claimed victory in 15 of his 18 UFC bouts. At featherweight, he has conceded just 10 takedowns, winning every single one of those fights. While Islam Makhachev managed to ground him four times in their first clash, that contest took place at lightweight.

Despite his confidence, the Australian insisted he is not taking the challenge Evloev presents at UFC 333 lightly.

"I respect him a lot," Volkanovski added. "He's a great fighter and wrestler, but his strengths don't scare me. Even if he takes me down, I won't panic. Everyone knows I'll get straight back to my feet, and him landing significant damage from those positions will be out of the question. The second he tries to strike, he loses position. He'll just try to hold me down, but that won't get it done either. Again, I'm not looking past him, I respect him, but he's running into someone like me, and I'll show him what I'm capable of."