With Jean Silva in the shadow, Evloev and Murphy face off in a battle of undefeated and rejected fighters at UFC London

Evloev and Murphy have a tense face-off at UFC. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube/UFC

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If last week the featherweight division (up to 65,8 kg) was in the spotlight, now, at UFC London , it is even more prominent. In the main event taking place this Saturday (21), the undefeated Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev face off in a highly anticipated clash of undefeated fighters, which has everything to lead the winner to challenge Alexander Volkanovski , the category champion. However, nothing is certain and the pair, however high-level they may be, still have to contend with the threat posed by Jean Silva.

Ranked sixth in the featherweight division, the Brazilian revealed that he was invited by the UFC to watch the event from a VIP box and indicated that he will be the next to challenge for the belt, ignoring Evloev and Murphy, ranked number one and three respectively. Despite being behind in the rankings, the Brazilian believes that because he is active, a finisher, exciting and provocative, he will jump the queue and get a fight against the champion. Aware of the rise of the athlete from the 'Fighting Nerds' team, the show's protagonists aim to mark their territory.

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So much so that Evloev and Murphy avoid thinking about Jean and focus only on the fight. In fact, the encounter is so important that it has a unique characteristic that proves the quality of the professionals. This is the biggest fight between undefeated athletes in UFC history, with 36 wins in total (19 for the Russian and 17 for the Englishman). Previously, the record was held by Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Garry , with 33 wins combined. In any case, neither Lerone nor Movsar care about the statistics, but rather about having their hand raised at the end of the fight.

However, despite their tremendously favorable numbers and high ranking in the featherweight division, Evloev and Murphy are not viewed favorably by fans and even by the UFC itself. Proof of this is that the athletes, even having earned their title shot in the octagon and despite Volkanovski's interest in facing them, are still seeking challenger status and end up being overlooked in favor of other, more appealing competitors, as happened with Diego Lopes , who had a surprising rematch with the champion, and now with the possibility of Jean surpassing them.

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Therefore, in the main event of UFC London , Murphy and Evloev aim to convince and end the uncertainty in the featherweight division. To achieve this in the octagon, the athletes promise to deliver a high-level battle, worthy of their undefeated records. The more well-rounded Russian's strategy involves taking his opponent down and controlling him on the ground to, perhaps, submit him. Meanwhile, the Englishman, excited to fight at home, aims to defend against takedown attempts, keep the fight standing, and score a knockout, as he is far superior in striking.

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