Preview: UFC 288 ‘Sterling vs. Cejudo’

Featherweights

#10 FW | Movsar Evloev (16-0, 6-0 UFC) vs. Diego Lopes (20-5, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: N/A

Evloev should be able to join the featherweight elite in short order; he just needs to make it to the cage. Evloev was immediately one of the top prospects on the UFC roster upon signing with the promotion in 2019, putting together an undefeated record against an uncommonly strong level of competition on the Russian scene. Evloev made his hay as a relentless wrestler and kept that up during his first few fights in the UFC, but his two fights in 2021 each raised the worry that he was hitting a plateau with that approach. His aggression put him in some bad positions in what was mostly a walkover against Nik Lentz, and he nearly wore himself out in another decision win over Hakeem Dawodu. Evloev’s lone fight of 2022 suggested that the Russian may have just been fighting his way through a learning curve. His decision win over Dan Ige was the most impressive performance of his career, as Evloev blended his wrestling with a suddenly effective striking game that would have knocked out less durable men. Unfortunately, the last year has mostly been an exercise in frustration for Evloev, who has suffered some injuries and seen a pairing against Bryce Mitchell fall through multiple times, including on this card. He draws a late-notice replacement in Lopes here. Lopes has been on the fringes of a UFC call-up for a few years, even before losing a fun fight to Joanderson Brito on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021; and he is the type of well-rounded veteran who should be able to find some wins in one of the UFC’s deeper divisions. With that said, this is a step too far. Lopes is a willing grappler who is athletically overmatched in this assignment, and Evloev should be able to put the UFC newcomer through the wringer. The only question seems to be whether or not Evloev can score his first UFC finish. The pick is Evloev via third-round stoppage.

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Sterling vs. Cejudo
Burns vs. Muhammad
Andrade vs. Yan
Evloev vs. Lopes
Jourdain vs. Gracie
The Prelims