Jose Aldo would cut unbeaten Evloev after his first UFC loss
The former champion calls the unbeaten Russian boring and says the UFC is a business, four days before his title fight with Volkanovski.
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo said that if he ran the promotion, he would not give Movsar Evloev a title shot and would release the Russian after his first loss. Aldo made the comments in an interview with MMA Fighting published Tuesday, four days before Evloev challenges Alexander Volkanovski for the title at UFC 333 on Saturday, Oct. 24, in Abu Dhabi.
Evloev enters the main event at 20-0 and ranked No. 1 at featherweight. For the Brazilian legend, that record is not enough. “The UFC isn’t just an organization that just has to follow a rankings system. It’s a business; it’s entertainment,” Aldo said.
What Jose Aldo said about Evloev
Aldo went further. “He could beat everybody. I’d wait for him to lose for the first time and then cut him,” he said, “because he’s a guy that doesn’t sell, a guy who puts on boring fights, a guy who doesn’t draw attention.”
“So why would I give him that opportunity? I want to sell out my arena, I want my event to grow, there’s a lot involved,” Aldo continued. “You beat everyone by laying and praying, drawing no attention and nobody talks about anything.”
As a counterexample, he pointed to fellow Brazilian featherweight Jean Silva. “Jean Silva could lose three fights, but he’s a guy who comes forward, a guy who puts on a show,” Aldo said. He also noted that Alex Pereira was almost 35 when he joined the UFC and kept growing into one of its biggest stars.
Movsar Evloev’s numbers in the UFC
The 32-year-old Russian is 10-0 in the UFC, and every one of those wins came by decision. Across his whole career, he has 13 decision wins, four submissions and three knockouts, according to official UFC stats.
His résumé explains the No. 1 ranking. Evloev has beaten Arnold Allen, Aljamain Sterling, Lerone Murphy and Brazil’s Diego Lopes, who lost to him in 2023 and is now booked against Charles Oliveira, as VF Comunica reported when Oliveira said he was ready to give up the BMF belt before UFC 335.
Across the cage will be Volkanovski, who vowed to finish the unbeaten Evloev inside five rounds. Evloev, for his part, has said he plans to control the Australian for 25 minutes and does not mind winning on the scorecards.
Control without submissions, an old debate in Jiu-Jitsu
Aldo’s criticism touches on a debate Jiu-Jitsu fans know well: how much a win by control is worth when the fighter never risks going for the finish. A black belt who came up at Nova Uniao, Aldo built his career on offense and became famous for his leg kicks.
The topic has come up more than once in the UFC this week. The promotion did not renew the contract of unbeaten bantamweight Farid Basharat, and Dana White said there was a reason for the release. Later, Muhammad Mokaev blamed TKO and Paramount for Basharat’s exit.
On the same Abu Dhabi card, Merab Dvalishvili, another takedown specialist, joked that he is a decision machine ahead of his trilogy with Petr Yan. A win over Volkanovski, with or without a finish, would give Evloev the belt and the most direct answer possible to Aldo.
Do you agree with Jose Aldo? Does an unbeaten fighter who wins by decision deserve a title shot, or should the UFC put entertainment first? Let us know in the comments.
Read more:
- Volkanovski vows to finish unbeaten Evloev at UFC 333
- Farid Basharat: Dana White hints at reason for UFC release
- José Aldo, Colby Covington and Diego Pato on the same card
