Movsar Evloev overcame a number of challenges to get his hand raised in London last Saturday night.
Volkanovski’s next title challenger was effectively named during the promotion’s latest trip across the pond, which featured another event at The O2 arena in London.
Although it didn’t excite many fans watching around the world, Evloev defeated Lerone Murphy via majority decision after five rounds of action in front of a passionate home crowd.
The Russian had to overcome some late visa complications that nearly forced him out of the fight altogether.
Movsar Evloev fought through a serious injury in win over Lerone Murphy
After finally getting clearance to compete in the UK, Evloev had to overcome more than just a late point deduction in his fight against ‘The Miracle’. It turns out there was another obstacle he hadn’t made public until recently.
As reported by Red Fury MMA, Evloev suffered a significant broken nose just four weeks before facing Murphy at UFC London.
An image of the 20-0 featherweight’s injury surfaced online, showing just how severe the break was ahead of his main event appearance at The O2.
Getting through those hurdles will be a relief for Evloev, especially given his history of pullouts during his time with the UFC. There have been 11 cancelled bouts since he joined the roster.
His inability to finish fights has also been cited as a reason why he hasn’t yet been given a shot at the title. But after moving past another undefeated opponent in Murphy, it’s becoming harder to overlook his credentials.
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