Jose Aldo believes Movsar Evloev doesn't deserve a UFC title shot, despite being undefeated and ranked No. 1! 🗣️ “If I were the president, I'd never put him in there. He could beat everybody. I'd wait for him to lose for the first time and then cut him."
Jose Aldo has questioned whether unbeaten featherweight Movsar Evloev has earned a UFC title shot, saying the promotion should hold him back until he suffers his first loss.
The former featherweight champion made the comments about Evloev, the division's No. 1-ranked contender. Aldo reportedly said that if he were UFC president, he would never book Evloev for a title fight, adding that Evloev "could beat everybody." Aldo's stated preference would be to wait for Evloev to lose for the first time and then release him from the roster.
Evloev, a 32-year-old from Russia who trains at American Top Team, sits at 20-0 and has yet to taste defeat as a professional. His most recent recorded fight came on March 21, 2026, when he beat Lerone Murphy by majority decision over five rounds. Before that, he took unanimous decisions over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310 and Arnold Allen at UFC 297, which means his last three recorded wins all went the distance.
The numbers explain both Aldo's criticism and Evloev's success. Evloev lands 3.91 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy, but his calling card is wrestling: he averages 4.78 takedowns per 15 minutes. By comparison, he attempts only 0.2 submissions per 15 minutes, a profile built on control rather than finishing.
Aldo, 40, is a Brazilian who fights out of Nova Uniao and holds a 32-10 record. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision loss to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315 on May 10, 2025, and he also dropped a split decision to Mario Bautista at UFC 307 before that. His career takedown rate of 0.47 per 15 minutes sits far below Evloev's output.
Why it matters
- Evloev's unbeaten record and No. 1 ranking make him a natural title contender, yet Aldo's view reflects a wider debate about how much a decision-heavy résumé counts.
- The two share the same five-foot-seven height, but Evloev holds a two-inch reach edge, 72 inches (183 cm) to Aldo's 70 inches (178 cm).
- The age gap is eight years, with Evloev 32 and Aldo 40.
Aldo's remarks add a voice from featherweight history to the conversation around who deserves the next shot at the belt.
