Michael Chiesa stated he would not be surprised if Diego Lopes receives a title shot instead of Movsar Evloev, citing Evloev's history of fight cancellations. Chiesa noted that Evloev has been scheduled for over 20 fights but has competed in only around 10, with cancellations due to staph infections, injuries, and issues stemming from overtraining. While Chiesa acknowledged that Evloev deserves the title shot, he expressed concern that the UFC might give it to Silva instead. The comments highlight ongoing concerns about Evloev's reliability and availability for high-stakes matchups.
Michael Chiesa has raised the possibility that Diego Lopes could leapfrog Movsar Evloev in the featherweight title picture, pointing to what he described as a troubling pattern of fight cancellations in Evloev's career.
Speaking publicly, Chiesa — known as "Maverick" and carrying a 20-7 record across his career — said he would not be surprised if the UFC bypassed Evloev for the next featherweight title shot and handed it to Lopes instead. The 38-year-old American, who fights out of Sikjitsu, acknowledged that Evloev deserves the opportunity on merit but expressed doubt about his reliability, noting that Evloev has been booked for more than 20 fights yet has competed in roughly half of them, with cancellations attributed to staph infections, injuries, and overtraining-related issues.
Evloev himself makes a compelling case on paper. The 32-year-old Russian is undefeated at 20-0 and sits ranked first in the featherweight division at American Top Team. Standing five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach, he averages 4.78 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him one of the division's most dangerous grapplers, and lands 3.91 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy.
Lopes, ranked seventh at featherweight, carries a 28-8 record and trains out of Lobo Gym MMA in Brazil. The 31-year-old operates at a similarly high striking output of 3.83 significant strikes per minute, also at 47 percent accuracy, and averages 1.4 submission attempts per 15 minutes, suggesting a more well-rounded finishing threat.
Why it matters
- Evloev holds the top featherweight ranking but his availability record has created doubt around his candidacy for a title shot.
- Lopes, despite sitting seventh in the division, could benefit from any further scheduling issues tied to Evloev.
- A jump from seventh to title contention would be a significant leap, making Evloev's reliability the central factor in how the UFC moves next in the division.
