Kevin Vallejos wants Volkanovski to beat Evloev so he can 'take the title away' from him
The featherweight, who faces Aljamain Sterling in the UFC Qatar co-main event on 21 November, told MMA Fighting he wants to be the man who dethrones Volkanovski.
Kevin Vallejos says a Volkanovski win over Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 on Saturday would keep alive the fight he wants next: his own shot at the featherweight champion.
"I would like Volkanovski to win," Vallejos told MMA Fighting. "I would like that because if I knock Sterling out, I would like to fight Volkanovski. I would like to take the title away from Volkanovski."
Vallejos faces former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in the co-main event of UFC Qatar on 21 November, after four straight wins in the UFC. His only defeat in 19 professional fights came against Jean Silva on Dana White's Contender Series in 2023.
He believes beating Sterling would put him in line for the belt. "I believe that a strong win over him would give me a title opportunity. Or at least put me in the conversation as the next contender," he said.
Vallejos expects Evloev, who is 20-0, to test the champion in Abu Dhabi. "[Evloev] will make things difficult for Volk, very difficult, but I see Volk winning," he said. "He has fought bigger guys, like Islam, and it took a lot to take him down. I think that if Evloev tries to take Volk down, Volk will know very well how to defend himself or get back to his feet."
Evloev earned his title shot with 10 UFC wins, including decisions over Arnold Allen, Sterling and Lerone Murphy. Volkanovski comes in off back-to-back wins over Diego Lopes. He and Evloev headline UFC 333 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, with the main event expected at 21:00 UK time on TNT Sports. The full running order is on our UFC 333 UK start time page.
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