Movsar Evloev
Russian mixed martial artist (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movsar Magomedovich Evloev[a] (born February 11, 1994) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, he has also competed at M-1 Global, where he is the former bantamweight champion. As of July 15, 2025, he is #1 in the UFC featherweight rankings.[6]
February 11, 1994
Ordzhonikidzvskaya, Ingushetia, Russia[2]
(now Sunzha, Ingushetia, Russia)
| Movsar Evloev | |
|---|---|
| Born | Movsar Magomedovic Evloev[1] February 11, 1994 Ordzhonikidzvskaya, Ingushetia, Russia[2] (now Sunzha, Ingushetia, Russia) |
| Native name | Мовсар Евлоев |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)[3] |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
| Division | Bantamweight (2014, 2016–2019) Featherweight (2015–16, 2019–present) |
| Reach | 72+1⁄2 in (184 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Sunzha, Ingushetia, Russia |
| Team | Nart Fight Club American Top Team (2020–present)[4] |
| Rank | Master of Sports in Greco-Roman wrestling[5] |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 20 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 13 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Other information | |
| Notable relatives | Musa Evloev |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Early life
Evloev, who has a degree in computer programming and law,[7] belongs to the Ingush teip Youvloy. Before turning professional in mixed martial arts in 2014,[8] Movsar earned the rank of a Master of Sports in Greco-Roman wrestling.[5] He is the cousin of Olympic gold medalist, Musa Evloev.[9]
Mixed martial arts career
M-1 Global
Prior to competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Evloev spent all his time in M-1 Global.
On April 22, 2017, Evloev faced Alexey Nevzorov for the M-1 Global Interim Bantamweight championship.[10] He knocked out Nevzorov in the second round to claim the title.[11]
Evloev then faced Pavel Vitruk for the undisputed title on July 22, 2017.[12] He defeated Vitruk by unanimous decision to unify the championship.[13]
Following his championship victory, Evloev's first title defense was held in February 2018, against Sergey Morozov.[14] He defeated him with a rear-naked choke in the third round.[15]
In his next title defense, he faced Rafael Dias on July 21, 2018.[16] He knocked Dias out in the fifth round to retain his belt.[17]
In April, he vacated the championship and signed with the UFC.[18]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Evloev was scheduled to make his promotional debut against Muin Gafurov on April 20, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 149.[19] However, Gafurov withdrew and was replaced by Seung Woo Choi. Evloev won the fight by unanimous decision.[20]
Evloev was then scheduled to face Mike Grundy on August 31, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 157.[21] However, Grundy pulled out of the bout due to injury[22] and was then set to be replaced by Zhenhong Lu.[23] However, just hours before the fight, Lu pulled out after suffering a cut.[24][25][26]
In his second UFC appearance, Evloev faced Enrique Barzola on October 26, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 162. He won the fight by unanimous decision.[27]
Evloev was then slated to face Douglas Silva de Andrade on March 7, 2020, at UFC 248.[28] However, Andrade pulled out of the fight and was set to be replaced by Jamall Emmers.[29] However, Evloev pulled out of the contest for unknown reasons.[30]
Evloev faced Mike Grundy on July 26, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 14.[31] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[32]
Evloev was scheduled to face Nate Landwehr on December 5, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 19[33] However, on the day of the fight, the bout was cancelled after Evloev tested positive for COVID-19.[34]
Evloev faced Nik Lentz, replacing Mike Grundy, at UFC 257 on January 24, 2021. [35] He won the fight via split decision.[36] 26 out of 26 media outlets scored the bout for Evloev.[37]
Evloev faced Hakeem Dawodu on June 12, 2021, at UFC 263.[38] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[39]
Evloev was expected to face Ilia Topuria on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270.[40] However, Evloev withdrew from the bout after a positive COVID-19 test[41] and was replaced by Charles Jourdain.[42]
Evloev faced Dan Ige on June 4, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 207.[43] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[44]
As the first bout of his new multi-fight contract, Evloev was scheduled to face Bryce Mitchell on November 5, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 214.[45] However, Evloev withdrew in mid October due to injury.[46]
Evloev was scheduled to face Bryce Mitchell, replacing injured Jonathan Pearce, on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288.[47] However, Mitchell withdrew due to an undisclosed injury.[48] He was replaced by Diego Lopes.[49] Evloev defeated Lopes via unanimous decision.[50] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[51]
Evloev faced Arnold Allen on January 20, 2024, at UFC 297.[52] In a competitive bout, he won once again by unanimous decision.[53]
Evloev was scheduled to face former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling on October 5, 2024 at UFC 307.[54] However, Sterling withdrew from the fight due to an injury sustained in sparring.[55] The pairing was eventually rescheduled to compete against one another at UFC 310 on December 7, 2024.[56] Evloev won the fight by unanimous decision.[57]
Evloev was reportedly going to face Aaron Pico on May 17, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 256.[58] However, on an interview, Pico revealed that although it was close to being signed, the bout did not come to fruition.[59] The fight was later re-scheduled to take place on July 26, 2025 at UFC on ABC 9. [60] In turn, under two weeks prior to this event, Evloev had to withdraw due to an injury.[61]
Evloev faced fellow undefeated contender Lerone Murphy in a main event title eliminator bout on March 21, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 270.[62] After landing repeated groin strikes that resulted in a point deduction in the fourth round, Evloev went on to win the fight by majority decision.[63] 12 out of 17 media outlets scored the bout as a draw while the remaining five scored it for Murphy.[64]
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Diego Lopes[51]
- Second most takedowns landed in UFC Featherweight division history (49) (behind Darren Elkins)[65]
- Tied (Khabib Nurmagomedov) for the highest win percentage in UFC history (10 bouts / 10 wins) (Minimum of 10 UFC fights)
- Tied (Katlyn Cerminara) for highest decision wins per win percentage in UFC history (10 decision wins / 10 wins: 100%)
- Tied (Lerone Murphy) for fourth longest win streak in UFC Featherweight division history (9)[65]
- Tied (Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski & Andre Fili) for second most decision wins in UFC Featherweight division history (9)[65]
- Third longest average fight time in UFC Featherweight division history (16:07)[65]
- First fighter to start UFC career with ten straight decision wins[66]
- M-1 Global
- M-1 Global interim Bantamweight Championship (One time; first)
- M-1 Global Bantamweight Championship (One time; former)
- Two successful title defenses
Mixed martial arts record
| 20 matches | 20 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 0 |
| By submission | 4 | 0 |
| By decision | 13 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 20–0 | Lerone Murphy | Decision (majority) | UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs. Murphy | March 21, 2026 | 5 | 5:00 | London, England | UFC Featherweight title eliminator. Evloev was deducted one point in round 4 due to an illegal groin strike. |
| Win | 19–0 | Aljamain Sterling | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 310 | December 7, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 18–0 | Arnold Allen | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 297 | January 20, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 17–0 | Diego Lopes | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 288 | May 6, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 16–0 | Dan Ige | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik | June 4, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–0 | Hakeem Dawodu | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 263 | June 12, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 14–0 | Nik Lentz | Decision (split) | UFC 257 | January 24, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Catchweight (150 lb) bout. |
| Win | 13–0 | Mike Grundy | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till | July 26, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 12–0 | Enrique Barzola | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren | October 26, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 11–0 | Choi Seung-woo | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Oleinik | April 20, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Return to Featherweight. Evloev was deducted one point in round 2 due to an illegal knee. |
| Win | 10–0 | Rafael Dias | KO (punches) | M-1 Challenge 95 | July 21, 2018 | 5 | 0:21 | Nazran, Russia | Defended the M-1 Global Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–0 | Sergey Morozov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | M-1 Challenge 88 | February 22, 2018 | 3 | 3:47 | Moscow, Russia | Defended the M-1 Global Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–0 | Pavel Vitruk | Decision (unanimous) | M-1 Challenge 81 | July 22, 2017 | 5 | 5:00 | Nazran, Russia | Won and unified the M-1 Global Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Alexey Nevzorov | KO (head kick) | M-1 Challenge 76 | April 22, 2017 | 2 | 2:15 | Nalchik, Russia | Won the interim M-1 Global Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–0 | Lee Morrison | Decision (unanimous) | M-1 Challenge 73 | December 9, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Nazran, Russia | |
| Win | 5–0 | Aleksander Krupenkin | TKO (punches) | M-1 Challenge 66 | May 27, 2016 | 1 | 4:09 | Orenburg, Russia | Return to Bantamweight. |
| Win | 4–0 | Djulustan Akimov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | M-1 Global: Battle in Nazran 3 | May 7, 2016 | 2 | 2:01 | Nazran, Russia | |
| Win | 3–0 | Andrey Syrovatkin | Submission (rear-naked choke) | M-1 Global: Battle in Nazran 1 | December 12, 2015 | 1 | 1:44 | Nazran, Russia | Featherweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Lu Zhenhong | Decision (unanimous) | M-1 Challenge 58 | June 6, 2015 | 2 | 5:00 | Ingushetia, Russia | Catchweight (141 lb) bout. |
| Win | 1–0 | He Jianwei | Submission (rear-naked choke) | M-1 Challenge 53 | November 25, 2014 | 2 | 1:45 | Beijing, China | Bantamweight debut. |