Surprising many paying attention, this likely featherweight title
eliminator is situated firmly on the prelims despite several
lower-ranked contests at 145 playing out later on the billing.
Evloev (18-0, 8-0 UFC) is not complaining, as he noted—likely
accurately at that—that more people will be watching the
ESPN-broadcasted prelims than tuning into the paid portion later.
Sterling (24-4, 16-4 UFC) is not buying it and feels disrespected
by his promotion, but that is nothing unusual for him given his
history at bantamweight. This potentially fascinating grappling
match will play out under the oversight of referee Jason Herzog,
and it opens up with a glove touch. Sterling stalks his way
forward, jabbing his way in and kicking with the ball of his foot.
Evloev hops out of the way from a body kick, and one to his lead
leg lands. Sterling catches him at the end of a right hand, and the
Russian shrugs it off. Evloev kicks the front leg, and Sterling
tries to time a head kick when Evloev ducks. Sterling connects with
another big right hand, and he shoots in and drags Evloev down to
force Evloev to put his hands on the mat. Chants of “USA” boom
through the arena, and Sterling channels this energy and knees
Evloev hard in the side. Sterling hangs on from the side and nearly
back, and he complains that Evloev is grabbing his glove. Evloev
adjusts and scoots his way to the wall, with Sterling following him
every scoot of the way. Sterling has his hands clasped around
Evloev’s waist, and he gets in a hook to take the back. “Funk
Master” slides the second hook in, and he holds on tight while
trying to free his right hand to set something up. Sterling again
mentions that his glove is being grabbed, and Evloev elbows behind
him on either side. Evloev stands up, and Sterling is still wrapped
around him. The former bantamweight king lifts Evloev off the
ground and slams him down, and the ensuing scramble allows Evloev
to take his back. Sterling ducks a strike and is taken to the
floor, and he sets up a guillotine choke but is in the wrong angle
to get it. Evloev turns the corner as Sterling sits up, and he
lowers himself down and wraps Sterling up in a crucifix as he drops
to his back. The close round ends with Sterling taking punches
upside the head. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Sterling Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Sterling Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Sterling

Sterling is the initial aggressor in the second round, pushing out
a front kick, dropping back to avoid a few punches and crashing
through to put Evloev on his seat. Evloev scrambles well enough to
get to 50/50 position, and he stands up as Sterling holds onto his
single leg. Evloev flips him around and lowers himself down in side
control, hooking his legs around Sterling’s arm to go for a
crucifix. Evloev takes the back, but Sterling pulls his hook out
and turns. Evloev lands a few hammerfists to the side of the head
as Herzog says “ears” a few times to let Evloev know that he needs
to aim for the ears and not hit the back of the head. Sterling
explodes around to get out of harm, and he wraps up Evloev and
tries to slam him down on his face in what would have been a pro
wrestling-style move. Evloev does not fall victim to it, turning
around to shoot for a single. Sterling stifles it and loads up on a
right hand, and Evloev backs him off with a right hand and a kick.
Evloev wings a spinning wheel kick, and when planting his foot, he
drills “Funk Master” in the face with a strong right hand. The
success of the strike allows the Russian to shoot in and put
Sterling on his back. Evloev looks to assert himself in half guard,
even briefly considering an arm-triangle choke only to get elbowed
in the side of the head a few times. Evloev takes Sterling’s back,
and Sterling does not appear concern and instead scrambles out of
it without much concern. Evloev again sets up a crucifix, and
Sterling counters with a single and briefly gets top position. This
back-and-forth grappling match is living up to the hype, and
Sterling pursues a double when Evloev gets away. The horn sounds
with Sterling in the midst of the shot. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev

Having reached the final round, both men clap hands. Sterling
flashes out a front kick and a long jab, and he is able to escape
the lunging Evloev from landing on him. Sterling ducks a big punch
and gets off an uppercut, and he dips down low to evade a spinning
back fist and tackles the Russian to the floor. Evloev returns to a
knee, and Sterling remains busy pursuing the takedown. Evloev wraps
an arm around Sterling’s head, and Sterling takes advantage of this
by slinging Evloev down on his face. Evloev pushes off the floor to
stand, and Sterling is leaning on him imposing his will while the
crowd is in full support of the American. Sterling jams Evloev
against the fence, allowing Evloev to knee him so he can move
around to partially take Evloev’s back standing. Sterling drags
Evloev to the floor, and as they slide around in a furious series
of scrambles, Evloev flips his man over and resides on top. Evloev
slugs Sterling in the chops a few times while they are both seated,
and Sterling explodes back to his feet. Evloev whips Sterling
around and back down, and he gets one hook in but is dropped on his
head. Sterling does not escape the downed position, on both knees
as Evloev punches him on the side of the head. Evloev turns
Sterling to his back, and he opens up with punches. Sterling gets
his hooks in and briefly holds the back, and when he scrambles,
Evloev hooks his leg around Sterling’s shoulder. The final bell
sounds while the two are in the midst of grappling, and it could be
anyone’s game. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (29-28 Evloev) Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (29-28 Evloev) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (29-28
Evloev)

The five-fight main card of UFC 297 is not playing around, as we
kick things off with Top 10 featherweights Allen and Evloev. This
fight will have a direct impact on the 145-pound title picture, and
as a couple of the best fighters under 30 in the division, it’s
entirely possible that these two will meet again sometime in the
next few years with a belt on the line. Allen, the Brit but
longtime Tristar Gym exponent, gets the adoptive native pop from
the crowd. Marc Goddard is the third man in the cage. They go right
to work, Allen southpaw, Evloev orthodox. Evloev lands a right body
kick to the open side. He goes upstairs with a kick next, but Allen
evades it easily. Allen’s right jab and hand fighting are on point
early, giving Evloev trouble getting his left hand working. Evloev
comes forward and runs into a body punch from Allen. Allen gives
chase and lands another left to the body. Evloev changes levels and
grabs a single-leg, briefly getting Allen to the ground, but they
pop back up with Evloev still holding the leg. Allen escapes a
moment later and they return to the middle to the cage. With two
minutes to go, Evloev tries another head kick, which glances off
the raised arms of Allen. Allen’s jab is a constant presence, but
Evloev ducks under one and gets a clean takedown. He can’t secure
top position, however, as Allen hits a gorgeous Granby roll and
spins to his feet. Evloev re-shoots, hauls him down again, and
Allen uses another Granby roll. What a scramble. Evloev follows
Allen, takes his back standing and lifts and dumps him on the
canvas right before the horn. Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Evloev

Allen’s righty jab is pumping right from the get-go, working to
keep Evloev on the outside. Evloev paws out at the hand with his
right, trying his own jab. Allen throws a murderous-looking high
kick that bounces off the guard of Evloev. Allen throws another
high kick, again off of the Russian’s arms, but the cumulative
impact to the arms can’t be disregarded at this point. Evloev
shoots a single-leg, switches to a double and plows Allen to the
ground in the middle of the cage. Allen stands, with Evloev stuck
to his back, and goes to the cage. Allen turns toward Evloev,
briefly considers a front headlock, but gives it up and uses
underhooks to shove Evloev away from his hips. They disengage and
move back to the center of the cage, where Evloev meets him with a
jumping knee. Allen comes back with another body punch. With under
a minute to go, Allen lands another left to the body. Evloev
catches him with a right to the chest, then clocks him with a
crushing jab that rocks Allen badly. Allen stumbles away, bleeding
from a cut under the left eye. Evloev gives chase, but stays
measured—or doesn’t realize how badly he has his man hurt. The horn
sounds. Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Evloev

Between rounds, Allen’s corner more or less tells him he needs a
finish, and he comes out aggressively. He backs Evloev up with a
flurry of punches, then catches him with a clean, hard three-punch
combination. Evloev throws a right cross and tries to shoot a
takedown behind it, but Allen is wise to it and steps out of the
way, nailing him with a left hand as he does. Evloev changes levels
and Allen uses a front headlock to drive him across the cage,
throwing knees to the head all along the way. Some of them look as
though they might be illegal, as Evloev’s hand is on the canvas
intermittently, while Allen tries to elevate him and knee him at
the same time. Referee Goddard stops the action, has the cageside
doctor examine a cut created by one or more of the knee strikes,
and issues a “hard warning” to Allen without taking a point. They
go back to work and, with half the round gone, Allen is on the
front foot once again. Allen’s jab is there, but Evloev counters
him with a kick up the middle. Allen lands another body punch.
Evloev shoots right into a front headlock. Allen locks up a ninja
choke, then gator rolls to top position. Evloev somehow spins
through and ends up on top in north-south, having broken the grip.
Another incredible ground sequence from these two standouts. They
return to the feet and go careening into the fence, where Evloev is
on Allen’s back. Allen throws a nice blind elbow behind him, but
can’t land any Hail Marys, and the final horn sounds. Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Allen (29-28 Evloev) Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Allen (29-28 Evloev) Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Allen (29-28 Evloev)

On extremely short notice, unbeaten Russian Evloev (16-0, 6-0 UFC)
will no longer be facing Bryce Mitchell in a major featherweight
collision. Instead, he battles late replacement and unsuccessful
Dana White’s Contender Series vet Lopes (20-5, 0-0 UFC), who
springboarded into the organization on the heels of a pair of
knockouts last year. Evloev will serve as the highest betting
favorite of the evening by a wide margin, with odds around -1000 in
his favor, and he may need to demonstrate that level of perceived
dominance to move up in his crowded division. Thankful to be
competing tonight, the fighters touch gloves, and referee Keith
Peterson is ready for however the match plays out from here. There
will be no nonsense. Lopes takes the center of the cage, and he
slaps out a low kick early. The Russian replies immediately with
the same kick, and Lopes loops a right hand over the top. The
Brazilian follows it with a calf kick, and Evloev ducks back and
catches the newcomer with a left hand. The strikes landing from
Lopes draw a reaction from Evloev immediately, who starts slinging
punches. A mighty brawl ensues, and Evloev manages to trip Lopes
out and drop him to the mat after they trade fists. Lopes falls to
his back in search of a leglock, and Evloev spins out of it and
shuts down a subsequent triangle choke attempt. Evloev begins to
open up with his strikes, until Lopes turns to his side to lock one
leg over and around Evloev’s shoulder. Evloev fights out of it
before it transforms into an armbar, and Lopes is quick to set up
one on the other side. Lopes rolls to his back and locks the armbar
down, and Evloev brilliantly survives it, turns into it and winds
up on top. Evloev breaks out of another possible submission setup
to lower himself flat on top, and he drills the neophyte with a
clean right hand. Lopes looks for another armbar, and he rolls all
the way to his face on the ground, and Evloev stops this by
smashing him in the face. Lopes returns to his back, and he sets up
a triangle choke with seconds to spare. The round ends, and judges
might see this one going either way. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lopes Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Lopes Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Lopes

The featherweights greet in the middle of the cage with a clap of
hands to reintroduce themselves to one another, and Evloev is the
initial aggressor. The Russian lands a right hand behind the ear,
and Lopes catches him and staggers him with a left hook. Evloev
gets backed off from a stream of punches, and he retaliates with a
right hand that wraps around the guard. Lopes sneaks a right hand
in when trading, and Evloev takes a few steps back to get out of
range and stick out a jab. The unbeaten fighter fires off a head
kick, and he spins with a wheel kick that misses the mark. Evloev
strings three punches together on the chin, and Lopes loads up on
his punches. Evloev’s sharp strikes start to connect more
frequently, and Lopes is keener on unloading single dangerous
blows. Evloev backs him off with a few punches in a row, and Lopes
tags him with one back. Evloev shoots in for a takedown, and he
succeeds in putting the Brazilian on his back. Lopes gets pummeled
with a series of punches to the head and body, and Lopes briefly
boots him with an upkick to back him off. Evloev climbs back down
into the guard without fear, as the submission attempts from the
short-notice replacement are fewer and farther between. Evloev
alternates his right hands to the ribs and temple, and Lopes cannot
defend against them before the horn blares. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Evloev

The last round kicks off with Lopes pushing the pace, and he
connects with a few looping strikes before Evloev counters to shut
him down. Evloev attacks from angles while Lopes plods straight
forward, and Lopes eats a few body shots and blocks a head kick in
the nick of time. Evloev launches a huge right hand that slams into
the side of his foe’s head, and he lands a few punches and an elbow
before Lopes can muster a response. Lopes loads up on his punches,
and Evloev sees them coming and dodges and weaves. Evloev evades a
swing to elbow his man in the face, and he scoops Lopes off the
ground and dumps him to the mat. Evloev opens up immediately with
ground-and-pound, and Lopes pushes him off with his feet and works
his way up to his feet. The quick mat return from Evloev puts the
newcomer back down again, and Evloev hangs onto him from behind
while Lopes stands once more. From an unusual angle from the back,
Evloev whips several kicks to the leg and even one up high, further
frustrating a fatiguing Lopes. Evloev knees the inner thigh, and he
hits a takedown. Lopes instantly threatens with a kimura, and he
succeeds in sweeping Evloev over while still hanging onto the sub.
Lopes considers a triangle choke to keep Evloev downed, but Evloev
musters all of his energy to power back up and out of the
submission. Evloev fights off an armlock, and Lopes quickly dives
after a kneebar. The knee hyperextends, and Evloev rolls over
through it and shakes his head that he will not tap out. Evloev’s
poker face is incredible, as the damage to his tendons and
ligaments must be severe. Evloev grits out the pain as Lopes
torques on his limb with all his might, and the bell sounds before
the submission can be completed. Even in likely defeat, Lopes
likely impressed the masses with his promotional debut, threatening
the undefeated fighter several times from bell to bell. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (29-28 Evloev) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (29-28
Evloev) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (29-28 Evloev)

We have reached the co-main event, which comes in the form of an
important featherweight tilt with top-10 implications on the line.
Ige (15-5, 7-4 UFC) will try to hold on to his higher ranked number
of 10 and become the first man to defeat rising Russian Evloev
(15-0, 5-0 UFC) who holds the 13 spot. Questions should be answered
when the dust settles, and zero nonsense referee Keith Peterson
will have the honor of officiating one of the more highly
anticipated bouts of the day. The respect is ample and the two men
touch gloves, and the first blow of the match is landed by the
Hawaiian, in the form of a jab up the middle. Evloev answers with a
low leg kick, and Ige crowds him with a pair of punches that knock
the unbeaten fighter into the wall. Evloev gathers himself and
pushes out a jab, and he is forced to backpedal when Ige charges
again. The blitz of Ige leads to a left to the body, and they may
have clashed heads as they both wind up to throw. Evloev answers
with his own one-two, but it is blocked in time. When Ige kicks
low, Evloev throws two punches up high. Evloev spins with a back
kick that Ige is able to walk past, but “50K” does get off a
thudding low kick. Evloev pierces out with jabs, and Ige answers
him back in kind. Evloev just misses with a huge right hand, and
Ige stands in the pocket more than willing to trade. Ige bullies
Evloev back thanks to jabs, and he bends Evloev over with one to
the midsection. Evloev counters him over the top with a right hand,
and Ige may be stunned by the blow. Evloev leaps in the air with a
flying knee, and Ige eats it like a pineapple and tries to throw
back. Evloev is faster, meeting Ige coming in with a stream of
punches. When Ige attempts to return fire, Evloev changes levels
and takes him down. Ige walks his way back upright, only for a
slamming mat return to come for the Russian. Ige attempts to elbow
behind his back, and Evloev is not concerned as he ragdolls Ige
around. Ige manages to spin out and stand back up, and Evloev is
singularly focused on tripping or tossing Ige back to the mat. They
split apart, and Evloev leads off with a jab. Ige replies, and he
blocks an overhand right quickly. Evloev boots Ige in the body and
jabs in the chest, and the horn sounds to end the round. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Evloev

The second round opens with jabs from both men, and Evloev kicks
the ribcage as Ige lets out a grunt. Ige gives chase and walks
through a head kick so that he can charge with two looping punches.
The Russian shells up and replies with a right hand that knocks Ige
back, not because it got through but because the sheer impact of
the blow on Ige’s glove sends him back. Evloev jabs out with a
finger outstretched, and it goes into Ige’s right eye. Ige blinks
it out after a few seconds and is ready to continue, and Evloev
resumes his high-volume approach of punches and body kicks to keep
Ige guessing. Ige looks to slide past his foe and trick him, but
Evloev meets him coming forward with a clean right hook. A second
right comes from the unbeaten fighter, who is simply beating Ige to
the punch on most occasions. Evloev cracks Ige again with a flying
knee, and Ige absorbs it flush without wobbling, but he is busted
up and streaking red lines on his face. Evloev pushes out a jab,
and Ige side-steps so that he can go for a left to the liver. They
paw at one another until Ige connects with a thudding leg kick, and
he is forced to defend when Evloev goes up top with a kick. Ige
sits down on two punches when he gets backed up, and he catches
Evloev coming in with a few punches. Evloev barely budges, and
their heads bump together when they lean forward at the same time.
Evloev lands a one-two on the chin, and a front kick splits the
guard. Ige lets loose with his hands, and even though they do find
the mark as well, Evloev is faster and more active. Ige stuffs a
takedown, and he delivers a kick to the body. Evloev stutter-steps
and darts forward to hit a takedown, and he bowls Ige to his back
while Ige closes his guard around the midsection. Evloev sits up
and starts pounding down with punches and short elbows, and he
works the body to open up the head even in the closed guard. Evloev
slashes down with an elbow, and Ige’s blood continues to pour from
various places in his face. The Russian does not relent with active
ground-and-pound, and only the bell stops him from working Ige over
further. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Evloev

The gloves get touched to open the final frame, and they post up in
the middle and trade jabs early. Ige throws a big right hand, and
he gets kicked in the cup in an answer. Ige waves Peterson off so
that he can keep slugging, and Evloev acknowledges this and then
walks over to lift Ige up and slam him to the mat. Ige works his
way to the fence so that he can try to work up it, and Evloev
controls him from the back and disallows Ige from standing. Ige
fights the grip around his waist and powers upright again, and
Evloev is kicking and looking to trip Ige down. Ige grabs the fence
and is admonished quickly from Peterson, and Evloev wrenches Ige
off the wire and drops him down to the mat again. When Ige gets a
little space, Evloev is there to bring him back down. Ige looks for
a sweep, and Evloev times this and threatens with a
counter-submission of his own. Ige does not give up, fighting his
way back up, only for Evloev to toss him back once more. Ige turns
the corner and threatens with a takedown effort in his own right,
and Evloev defends and slugs Ige on the side of the head
repeatedly. This odd stalemate position is nothing problematic for
Evloev, who slowly turns Ige to his back so that he can posture up
and drop down hammers. Ige throws his legs up for a triangle choke
setup, and Evloev shucks it off and circles around to take Ige’s
back. Ige turns all the way through to not surrender back control,
and with 30 seconds left in the fight, Ige springs back to his feet
and is ready to brawl. The Russian has no interest in doing this,
and instead takes Ige down with ease and beats on Ige with both
fists until the final bell sounds. Going forward, Evloev is going
to have some very exciting tests in front of him, as he passed the
Ige examination with flying colors. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (30-27 Evloev) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (30-27
Evloev) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (30-27 Evloev)

Opening up the four-fight ESPN prelims is what should be a
featherweight thriller between the “Mean” Dawodu (12-1-1, 5-1 UFC)
and the unbeaten Evloev (14-0, 4-0 UFC) with a possible place in
the top 10 for the victor. The third man inside the cage is referee
Mike Beltran, who bears witness no glove touch before a bout many
are considering the dark horse “Fight of the Night.” Evloev changes
levels and wings a right hand, and Dawodu has to shake it off as it
lands flush. The two featherweights stick out jabs at the same
time, and Evloev follows through with a left hand that knocks
Dawodu back. Evloev connects with a leg kick and they trade jabs
again. Evloev ducks a jab to shoot in for a low single, and he hits
it after an exciting move to put Dawodu on his back. The Canadian
rushes to the wall to walk up, and Evloev is relentless as he
pursues it. Dawodu gives up his back in the process, and Evloev has
his arms locked around his back as he lifts Dawodu in the air.
Evloev slams him to the ground, and Dawodu scrambles right back up
to his feet thanks to the fencing. Dawodu falls victim to an
emphatic mat return, and Evloev gets his hooks in and takes
Dawodu’s back. The Russian quickly snatches on to a choke that
turns into a neck crank, and he stars squeezing it even though he
does not have a choke locked in. Dawodu survives it and turns to
free himself a little, but Evloev is still there with control.
Dawodu punches behind his head, and a few punches land
dramatically, even starting a little swelling around Evloev’s eye.
Evloev responds by punching his opponent in the armpit, softening
him up as he hunts for the neck. Evloev continues to smack Dawodu
on the side of the head repeatedly as he has the back, but Dawodu
is proficient in fighting the hands. Evloev sits back and drill his
foe with several hammerfists, and Dawodu blasts out of the bad
position up to his feet. Evloev cannot drag him back down, and the
two fight hands on the fence until the round concludes. The only
question of this round is whether the judges thought it was a 10-8
for Evloev. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-8 Evloev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Evloev

Dawodu opens up in the second frame with a few kicks, one to the
leg and one to the body. Evloev walks through both to pressure his
foe, where he grabs hold of him and wrests him to the ground. It
does not take long for Dawodu to get back up, and Evloev happily
follows him so that he can slam him back down harder. Dawodu scoots
to the fence but surrenders his back in the process, and Evloev
gets his hooks in to the same position as much of the last round
took place. The crowd turns on Evloev as he sits in this position,
and as if empowered by the fans, Dawodu explodes up. The Russian
allows him to stand for a moment before ripping his legs back out,
where he plants Dawodu on his face on the ground. In this position,
Evloev wrenches his arm around Dawodu’s face for a crank, seemingly
not even looking for the neck. Evloev whacks his man with punches
to the head and body to distract Dawodu enough to give up an even
worse position, but Dawodu ignores the blows as he tries to keep
control of Evloev’s wrists. Dawodu stays defensive as he keeps
absorbing punches and hammerfists, and Evloev has his way with him
as he keeps punishing him. Dawodu tries to slug it out from this
position, and he bursts through to break the posture and spin
around, only for that to fail and him to be stuck in this position
for longer. Dawodu scrambles, and he turns to his knees and is
nearly flattened out as Evloev pounds on him. Dawodu turns back
around to be stuck with his back taken, and Evloev slugs it out
until the horn blares. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Evloev Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-8 Evloev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Evloev

The featherweights meet in the center of the cage to throw jabs,
and Dawodu reaches out with a kick. Evloev decides not to take the
fight down, and he jabs from a distance when Dawodu closes in. The
Canadian scores a solid calf kick after a body shot, forcing Evloev
to clinch up for a moment. Dawodu pushes him away and dings him
with a left hand, and Evloev darts out of the way to take another
low kick. Evloev meets him in a quick clinch with an uppercut, and
Dawodu escapes to score a single punch to the body. Both trade
single strikes over the top, and a glancing blow makes Dawodu
stumble back. Evloev tries to follow it up with a takedown, and
Dawodu stuffs it and stands back up. Dawodu swings with a wide
punch that blows Evloev’s hair back, and Evloev looks to counter
but is similarly inaccurate. Dawodu strings a few punches together,
and Evloev slips them and rips back. Dawodu hops forward with a
kick to the body, and he throws everything he has into a leaping
left hand. Evloev tries to rush in for some offense, and Dawodu
sees it coming and pushes him away. Dawodu takes a leg kick and
gives one back, and he scores a right hand as Evloev turns around.
Dawodu hurts Evloev with a punch, and the crowd goes crazy for
Dawodu. Evloev motions to the crowd that the strike did not hurt
that much, and Dawodu follows it up with one that rings Evloev’s
bell and stumbles the Russian. Evloev crashes forward to take the
fight down as he is wobbled on his feet, and he scores it, much to
the chagrin of the fans in the building and the commentary booth.
Evloev takes Dawodu’s back, and he rides out the position to the
last horn, all while the crowd rains down boos. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Dawodu (29-27 Evloev) Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Dawodu (29-26 Evloev) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Dawodu (29-26
Evloev)

Switching gears to a catchweight contest as Lentz (30-11-2, 1 NC;
14-8-1, 1 NC UFC) took the fight on short notice, “The Carny” tries
to become the first man to defeat Russia’s Evloev (13-0, 3-0 UFC).
The third man inside the Octagon will be referee Lukasz Bosacki,
who observes no glove touch to start things off. Evloev drills his
man with a leg kick, and Lentz steps back, winds up a right hand
and cracks Evloev with it. Evloev wears it without worry, and Lentz
presses the pace to take the fight down. Pushing Evloev into the
fence, Lentz tries for a takedown, but Evloev reverses the position
and puts Lentz on his back. Lentz defends with a brief submission
attempt from his back, and he turns it into a guillotine choke.
Evloev looks to pass guard but the guillotine is tight, and Lentz
rolls over to take full mount. The mounted guillotine is cinched
up, but Evloev calmly gets his guard back, pops his head out tries
to stand up. Lentz redoubles his effort as Evloev stands up,
keeping heavy pressure on Evloev’s head against the fence. Evloev
rolls for a sweep and grounds Lentz, where he not only frees
himself from submission danger but also lands some heavy
ground-and-pound in the process. Busy off his back, Lentz looks to
isolate the right arm of his opponent for a kimura, but the Russian
snatches his arm free and steps over to half guard. Lentz grabs
hold of the guillotine again while pulling his opponent back to his
guard, and Evloev does not appear flustered and keeps stepping
through to try to pass position. Lentz grimaces as he tightens his
grip, and Evloev pulls his head out once more while advancing to
half guard at the same time. Evloev slams his fists into Lentz’
head and body, and his face is marked up as he takes strikes from
above. Evloev clubs him with a right hand that lands on the crown
of Lentz’ head, but Lentz’ toughness prevails as he springs back
up. The tense first round comes to a close. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Evloev

There is a glove touch this round, and Lentz begins with a few
kicks to the leg. One leg kick in particular makes Evloev nearly
turn around, but the Russian plods forward to take the fight down.
On the way in, Lentz tags him with a right hand that breaks up the
attempt, and he loads up on that right hand again to give Evloev
pause. Lentz paws out with a body kick, and Evloev slips in to tag
him and backs off to avoid a counter. Lentz charges in with a left,
and then a right hand lands while Lentz reaches out his arm. Lentz
absorbs a right hand but still gives back a leg kick, and another
makes Evloev back up to the cage. Lentz rushes forward to consider
a takedown, and when Evloev defends, Lentz tries to pull guard for
a guillotine choke. Evloev pops out and stands up, and once more
Lentz catches him in this snaring choke. The Russian again breaks
free, and Lentz pops him with a couple of shots. With Evloev
pressing Lentz into the fence, Lentz delivers a heavy knee up the
middle to force a separation. Lentz swings and misses with big
punches, and Evloev gathers himself to get off a solid jab. Evloev
keeps his range with a few more lunging jabs, and he punches his
way in and scores a stiff uppercut. Lentz drops down for a
takedown, and Evloev rebuffs it. A strike, or possibly an
inadvertent clash of heads, opens up a cut over Lentz’ right eye
and makes the American paw at it and wince. As Evloev steps on the
gas to do some damage, Lentz latches on to him, pulling guard to
hunt for another guillotine choke. Evloev slides out, lands a few
solid punches, and backs off before Lentz can get him back. Lentz
scores a knee and a few punches that come back at him stand him up,
but “The Carny” is not afraid to get into a firefight. He marches
his opponent down and throws a few heavy punches, dropping down for
a takedown to steal the round. He cannot land it before the horn
sounds. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Evloev

The two 150-pound fighters touch gloves to open up the final round,
and Evloev is quick to stick Lentz with a few jabs. Lentz lands a
leg kick, and he eats a jab while trying to follow it up with
something. Lentz bites down on his mouthpiece to throw bombs, and
Evloev’s head movement allows him to evade the strikes and counter.
Lentz is all heart as he wades forward, hands by his waist,
throwing big punches. Evloev stuffs a takedown and keeps his
distance, getting off left jabs and right hands after it while
Lentz tries to throw back at him. Evloev blocks a body kick, lands
two punches and darts out of the way. “The Carny” eats a few more
strikes as he looks to load up on anything he can get off, but
Evloev is able to dance out of harm’s way and land quick shots all
while staying on the outside. Evloev lands a solid one-two, and
Lentz shakes it off. An eye poke from Evloev pauses the action
momentarily, but Lentz waves off referee intervention and shoots in
for a takedown. Evloev sprawls to defend it as he pounds Lentz on
the side of his head. When Lentz stands up, Evloev drills his
adversary with a few fast punches. Lentz lets out a kick, but when
it is caught, Evloev pops him with a right hook that stuns Lentz
for a moment. This exact same chain of events happens again, and
Lentz decides he will stop throwing naked body kicks after that.
Evloev backs off, digs a spinning back kick into Lentz’ midsection
and circling through to score a powerful jab. Lentz’ defense is
waning as he simply eats these shots and bleeds, and when he tries
to respond, the Russian is well out of the way. Evloev doubles up
his jab to disrupt Lentz’ forward movement, and he leans back to
avoid a big overhand right. Evloev slips a few punches to land back
on Lentz in a very impressive sequence, and he is standing in front
of Lentz firing off strikes while avoiding the responses. The round
ends with a few jabs from the Russian. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (30-27 Evloev) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (30-27
Evloev) Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (30-27 Evloev)

The bout was canceled Saturday night after Evloev tested positive for COVID-19 . The news was first
reported by MagicM
MMA .

At featherweight, unbeaten Russian Evloev (12-0, 2-0 UFC) squares
off with Team Kaobon representative Grundy (12-1, 1-0 UFC) – Grundy
is the first of three fighters tonight from this camp, along with
Tom Aspinall and Darren Till. A touch of gloves checks in the bout
overseen by referee Marc Goddard, and Grundy takes the center of
the Octagon. Evloev is the first to strike, in the form of a leg
kick, and Grundy ducks down to throw a few punches that come up
short. Evloev fires off a quick body kick, but Grundy catches it
and takes him down. Evloev throws his legs up as he falls to his
back, and the Brit ignores the potential attempt to land a strike
from on top. Evloev springs to his knees, and Grundy grabs hold of
a head lock to keep Evloev grounded. They scramble wildly, and roll
out of position, with Evloev managing to get back to his feet. This
does not last for long, as Grundy is right back on him to take the
fight down with style points. Evloev again thinks about a triangle
choke from his back, but he instead uses this to roll to his knees.
Grundy sees the exposed neck and latches on a brabo choke in an
instant, and it is tight. The Russian keeps rolling to get out, but
puts himself in worse position as his neck is bent in a bad way.
Evloev stays patient, and miraculously, he is able to pull his head
free. When he gets back to his feet, Grundy takes a deep breath and
shakes his arms out as he put a lot into trying to finish that
choke. They start exchanging on the feet, and Evloev cracks him
with a right hand that hurts the Brit and busts up his eye.
Grundy’s right eye instantly begins to swell and start bleeding,
and Evloev targets it with another right as Grundy tries to throw
back at him. When Evloev reaches too far to land on him, Grundy
changes levels to take the fight down. Evloev manages to stuff it,
and he breaks away to wing a spinning back fist. Grundy catches him
coming forward and hits a takedown as the horn sounds. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Grundy Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Grundy Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Grundy

Grundy starts the round after a few tentative strikes with a
takedown attempt, and the Russian stands him back up. Evloev lands
a left, and Grundy fires back with his own that catches Evloev on
the cheek hard. The Russian is not concerned, and backs away while
Grundy practically dives at him for a takedown. Evloev once more
stuffs it and returns to a clinch for a moment, before forcing a
separation. When Evloev commits to a combination, Grundy drops down
for a double, and the Brit is greeted with an uppercut. Grundy
keeps trying to get the fight down, and gets Evloev grounded for
the briefest of moments, only to lose position when Evloev powers
back up. A right hand from Evloev is followed by another and a knee
up the middle, and Grundy can do nothing but absorb them as his
takedown game keeps getting thwarted. Evloev slaps the lead leg
with a few kicks, and follows one with a sharp one-two. He keeps
his striking going in the form of a powerful elbow, and a big left
hand hurts Grundy. The Brit is forced to take the fight down
possibly in desperation, and Evloev scrambles brilliantly, nearly
flipping around his opponent to get up. When Grundy fakes for a
level change, Evloev delivers an uppercut up the bracket. Evloev
keeps his jab flowing until the round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Evloev Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev

Evloev stays on the outside to open the round, keeping his distance
from a level change while kicking Grundy in the head. The Brit
wears it well and presses in to wrench the fight down, but he
cannot get things where he wants them. Instead, Evloev lands a few
strikes from a distance, with jabs followed by power punches as
Grundy has no answer on the feet. Grundy tries from a long way out
to take him down, and Evloev sees it coming a mile away and dances
out of harm’s way. Evloev takes the center of the cage, where he
lands a leg kick and a stiff jab as Grundy tries to crowd him with
an uppercut. Evloev sticks out a few more jabs, and gives back his
own uppercut but leaves it out a little too long. Grundy finally
manages to hit the takedown he desires, and Evloev gives up his
back so the he can stand back up, and he does just that. Evloev
jabs in and times a knee up the middle when Grundy tries to drop
low, but Grundy pulls back before absorbing the brunt of it.
Doggedly pursuing the takedown, Grundy lands another and gets
Evloev down, but the Russian crushes Grundy’s hopes and dreams by
standing up and avoiding the potential brabo choke attempt. Evloev
presses Grundy against the fence, and in the process he holds on to
the cage, which prompts Goddard to land a resounding slap to break
that up. Evloev stays sharp and jabs at him from a distance while
avoiding the slower, looping punches from the British wrestler.
Evloev gets off a spinning back fist and a few more jabs, and
Grundy attacks him with everything he has left before the horn
sounds – he does not make much of it as he misses with a jump knee
and a few hooks from below his knees. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (29-28 Evloev) Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (29-28 Evloev) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Evloev (29-28
Evloev)

Movsar Evloev

Fight History

Fighter Skills Radar

Key Insights

Striking Profile

Key Insights

Grappling Profile

Key Insights

Conclusions Summary