Evloev Still Wants Backyard Swampdwelling ‘Thug Nasty’ Fight

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Movsar Evloev is ready to finally get his hands on Bryce Mitchell.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight division has seen an influx of talented rising stars in recent years. Amongst the mix has been Russia’s Evloev, who recently extended his unbeaten streak to 17 at UFC 288 earlier this month (May 6, 2023) with a fun unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes.

Lopes wasn’t Evloev’s original dance partner, however. The Mexican Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) specialist entered the bout on short notice after a shoulder injury forced the aforementioned Mitchell to withdraw. It was the second time an Evloev vs. Mitchell pairing fell apart, prompting both men to continue launching challenge volleys at the other.

“Hey, Movsar, I hear you’re still trying to fight me,” Mitchell said in an Instagram video. “That’s good 'cause I’m looking for somebody to fight. How about Aug. 5 in Nashville? Until then, I got bigger fish to fry than you, buddy.”

“After I kick your ass, I will invite you for a nice fish dinner — so that you don’t have to eat those filthy infested fish from that swamp you call your back yard,” Evloev tweeted. “Let’s do UFC 292 in Boston!”

Like Evloev, Mitchell was also recently on a lengthy undefeated streak, amassing 15 consecutive victories. Unfortunately for the Sherwood, Arkansas native, Mitchell’s last fight with Ilia Topuria (another undefeated contender) at UFC 282 in Dec. 2022 led to his first loss via a second round arm triangle choke (watch highlights).

Evloev and Mitchell are 1-1 in their series of fight cancelations, so the match up is starting to reach cursed territory. Regarding Evloev’s suggested UFC 292 event, the Boston, Massachusetts promotional return goes down a few weeks after UFC Nashville on Aug. 19, 2023.