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Alexander Volkanovski explains Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy preference in UFC London prediction

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Mar 21, 2026 7:55 AM ET

Alexander Volkanovski will be watching closely as his potential next opponent is decided in London.

Movsar Evloev faces Lerone Murphy in a clash of contenders who many believe are already deserving of a shot at the featherweight belt.

While Jean Silva has argued that he should be next for Volkanovski, this isn’t the way that ‘The Great’ sees the landscape at 145 pounds.

He said that it’s “pretty clear they’re going to be next” before predicting which man he expects to cement himself as the frontrunner.

Alexander Volkanovski believes Movsar Evloev is a bigger fight for his legacy and picks him to beat Lerone Murphy

It’s no secret that Lerone Murphy will have to stop Movsar Evloev’s takedowns if he’s going to remain undefeated in the main event of UFC London.

Alexander Volkanovski said that while he doesn’t expect the title eliminator to be one-sided, he thinks the Russian will be the one who keeps his win streak alive.

“I think pretty consistently Movsar will be able to get the takedowns and win the rounds because of it,” he said on his YouTube channel. “So yeah, that’s going to be my take. So I’m going to have to go with Movsar, decision… It’s still going to be reasonably close but just, you know, I know Movsar is just going to keep edging him.”

Fortunately for the featherweight champion, this result would set him up for his preferred matchup.

Volkanovski has been open about wanting to face Evloev for some time, explaining that the contender’s dominant wrestling style is something that excites him.

Getting the chance to try to beat a style that has proven dominant across multiple weight classes is the kind of challenge that ‘The Great’ is looking for.

“I love that. I think that’s bigger for my legacy,” he added. “That’s going to be much bigger. But, they’re both great fights for the legacy, both of them. But, if I had to choose who I’d probably prefer, it’d probably be Movsar.”

Alexander Volkanovski referenced his first Islam Makhachev fight when previewing Movsar Evloev clash

Alexander Volkanovski mentioned in his video that he does have experience of facing this wrestling style and doing well against it in the past.

Some argued that Volkanovski should have beaten Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 after the fight came down to a close unanimous decision verdict.

Despite moving up a weight class, ‘The Great’ was able to compete with the lightweight champion at the time even when being met with his opponent’s elite grappling.

Alexander Volkanovski vs Islam Makhachev	Makhachev’s successful takedowns	Makhachev’s control time
UFC 284 – February, 2023	4 of 9 attempted	7:37