Featherweights
Movsar Evloev (11-0) vs. Zhenhong Lu (16-6)Advertisement
For all its problems, the UFC continues to add excellent prospects who fly under the radar, and Evloev is one of the more recent entries into that category. At just 25 years old, the Russian is a blue-chipper, already having proven himself against a strong slate of competition on his way to becoming M-1 Global’s bantamweight champion. Evloev has apparently decided to make it in the UFC as a featherweight, and his debut against Seung Woo Choi was a solid enough effort, though he did little else but rely on his wrestling.
Evloev was initially slated to face Mike Grundy in what would have been an intriguing test. With Grundy out, the UFC did well to sign a Chinese newcomer as a replacement, even if Evloev actually beat Lu back in 2015. There is a lot to like about Lu, particularly his solid wrestling and destructive top game, but in a battle of strength against strength in the grappling department, Evloev figures to win out.
While Evloev is due for a prospect loss at some point -- he can get a bit reckless pursuing the finish and can be overaggressive when he decides to press his wrestling -- this does not look like it will be that fight. Lu is a solid talent, but the pick is Evloev via clear decision.
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