Arnold Allen has an interesting take on the featherweight headliner at UFC London.
Fans are backing Movsar Evloev to defeat Lerone Murphy in enemy territory in just a matter of hours.
This result would suit the current champion at 145 pounds, with Alexander Volkanovski preferring to face Evloev because of the challenge his wrestling presents.
One of the nine opponents that the Russian has got past inside the Octagon sees the fight going a different way, as he explained ahead of fight night.
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Arnold Allen believes the pressure will get to Movsar Evloev at UFC London
Movsar Evloev’s wrestling presents a big threat to Lerone Murphy in the main event of UFC London on March 21.
One of the fighters who gave the Russian a serious run for his money during his undefeated win streak is Arnold Allen, who faced him at UFC 297 in 2024.
‘Almighty’ may have only given up three and a half minutes when losing a decision to Evloev, but he believes there’s another factor that will be key to the featherweight title eliminator.
“I think Lerone wins,” Allen told TNT Sports. “I think Movsar, his back’s up against the wall a little bit. He’s under the cosh a little bit. He’s undefeated, he’s winning, but he’s winning in a way that people don’t want to win, right? I for one think he’s exciting, I like watching him.
“But, it’s no secret that he’s been passed up for a title shot,” the Brit continued. “He’s had a lot of cancelled fights, he’s pulled out of a lot of fights. Maybe injuries, not his fault, I’ve been through it myself. But, I feel like he’s going to feel the pressure and he has to chase a finish and I think him chasing a finish is going to cause the problem for him because he doesn’t chase finishes.”
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Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
To Allen’s point, Evloev has only fought once since their meeting in Canada, whereas Murphy has competed and won four times since UFC 297 happened.
Evloev wasn’t sure if he’d ever fight again after battling corona virus last year.
The illness took him a long time to recover from and forced him to pull of a matchup with Aaron Pico, which his next opponent stepped in to take.
The Russian has also had some big matchups against the likes of Ilia…
2026-03-21 16:00:00
