“We’ve never seen Movsar this emotional”: Morozov breaks down Evloev’s fight vs. Murphy

Hello everyone! You are watching a video discussion on mma-tv.com. My name is Julia Mirey. I am joined today by the distinguished former UFC fighter and M-1 bantamweight champion Sergey Morozov. Hello, Sergey!

A warm welcome to everyone, and hello to you all.

In February 2018, Sergey faced Movsar Evloev in the octagon for the M-1 championship title. Back then, Movsar won by submission in the 3rd round. On this past Saturday, March the 21st, Movsar Evloev stepped into the octagon for the main event at UFC Fight Night 270, where he secured a hard-fought victory by majority decision over the British fighter Lerone Murphy. Now, let's discuss this fight. Sergey, in those first two rounds, when Movsar started fighting in a stand-up position—quite unexpectedly, I think, for everyone watching—it became very clear that he didn't have a huge advantage over his opponent. But then, when he continued to do this in the third round... I started to feel quite a bit panicked, because if someone has a superweapon and doesn't use it, holds back for some unknown reason, it really made me think that maybe he was being threatened by the UFC—that if he started wrestling, they would fire him or something like that. How common is this kind of practice in the UFC, anyway?

I think that, more likely, Movsar just showed everyone that he has a very rich and diverse arsenal, right? And he worked very confidently consistently thanks to his relentless pressure, and also because his opponent was constantly afraid that Movsar would start wrestling. This strategic advantage allowed him to work calmly in the stand-up, deal significant damage, and take much less damage himself. And when he spent those three full rounds working effectively in the stand-up... I think many were surprised and realized that Movsar is developing, growing, not standing still, that, as you say, he only has a superweapon. That he not only has a superweapon, he is comprehensively developed, he showed this to everyone. And this really needed to be shown. Why? Because... The UFC likes it when people fight more on their feet, more spectacularly, more brightly. They like that. Of course, it would have been great if Movsar had finished him early, landed a shot while standing. But against a dangerous opponent, he showed a good level of striking. A very good, high level.

He has been working his way toward the belt for a long time, and now, after this fight, another chance has come up, possibly to fight for the title. And there’s a lot at stake. Do you think taking such a risk, working outside his element, was justified? Of course.

"As we can see, the UFC parts ways with athletes who are not interesting to them, who are inconvenient for them. I think that’s why they scheduled a fight for Movsar right after Ramadan. Even though, you know, the person is Muslim and fasting. And Movsar was put in such a position that he couldn’t refuse, as I understand it. Either they gave him an ultimatum—either you fight, or most likely, we’ll part ways with you. Because I know he’s a religious person

Yes, that's exactly what he said, that his main preparation fell during that time, and it was extremely tough. Of course, he showed an incredible strength of character. When the fight finally ended, just like the Russian-speaking commentators, I found myself feeling quite uncertain that Movsar's hand would be raised, because the fight was exceptionally close. But for you, when it was over, did you have that confidence?

But again, you can count a lot of strikes in the UFC. I've personally gone through this, and my friends have faced it too. You can count up many strikes and tally up some statistics. However, it also depends on the specific team of judges you get for the fight. This is because some officials value clean, effective strikes more, while others put much more weight on grappling and control. Additionally, some value forward pressure and octagon control even more. So, as I understand it, Movsar both threw a good number of strikes, applied pressure, and also outwrestled his opponent. So, well, he was consistently moving forward for all five rounds. He was practically moving forward for all five rounds, I see. And, I don't really know, of course, if they truly wanted to screw him over, they certainly would have done so, but as I understand it, he is still quite interesting to them.

Well, I also really wanted to talk a bit more about the professional judging team. The referee in the octagon was also British, just like his opponent. That's a bit strange to me. Is that standard practice?

"To be perfectly honest with you, I'll tell you this: in Western countries like Europe and North America, their judges aren't nearly as biased as the ones we have, for example, in the post-Soviet space. Here, if it's one of our own, there's always something inside that plays a role. Very few people can overcome that. For them, they just treat it as a job—both the fighters and, say, the referees. If you win, you win

On the other hand, when Movsar hit the groin in one of the rounds, he was given a warning, but in the second round, he had a point deducted. And how normal is that, really? Because it also seemed to me that this very bias still played its part.

As I understand it, this opponent kept crouching down, he was afraid of grappling and crouched a lot. Yes. And Movsar, most likely, was just throwing inside kicks, like to the leg, and the other guy crouched down and unintentionally got hit. But I was surprised by one thing, that when Movsar... When I was messing around with him, it was like Movsar let his emotions take over. I've rarely seen him let his emotions out. Honestly, that really surprised me. I know Movsar well, and we talk a lot, not just about sports but also about everyday life. He never behaved so emotionally, but this time he threw his hands up somehow. There was some kind of shout, and honestly, I was surprised, because usually he's always very reserved. Maybe that actually spurred him on to go out there and fight, to strike and wrestle, I don't know.

Well, what do you think, is it really fair to take away a point like that if the second foul was accidental?

Well, you could see that the strikes weren't intentional, because, as I said, in any attack when Movsar was moving in—at least from what I saw, if I'm not mistaken, that's what I noticed. Whenever Movsar moved forward, he would always lower his level. And when his opponent moved in, he would lower his level too. And when Movsar attacked, he was always lowering his level on his feet. What does that tell you? Anyone who understands martial arts knows that he was wary of Movsar's wrestling. And their whole camp worked on that—to keep his center of gravity low so it would be easier to defend against wrestling.

And by the way, when he first started wrestling, Evloev didn’t really have any major problems taking his opponent down to the mat or controlling him. Although, to be fair, Murphy actually defended himself pretty well throughout those exchanges. So, what is your honest opinion on this—if Evloev had stuck to his standard tactical approach and wrestled, could he have finished the fight much earlier in the match?

You know, let me put it this way, still... There’s the factor that he fought right after Ramadan—he was fasting, and the training load he was able to handle wasn’t the same as it would have been in a full training camp, that’s one thing. Second... If I’m not mistaken, there was also a visa delay, so he arrived just before the fight. All of that had an impact, let me tell you. The time zone difference, plus the climate change, plus coming right after Ramadan—all of that had an effect. But let me tell you, Movsar is the kind of athlete who can go the distance. He’s built for the long haul. Five rounds is his thing. Look at how many fights he had in M-1, how he handled himself. He never showed any signs of shortness of breath, fatigue, or any kind of struggle on his face. There was never anything like that. Even though he fought five-round bouts more than once there. And now, fighting five rounds in the UFC—for him, that's actually an advantage. It will be a plus for him. Why? Because his cardio is excellent. I know this personally. And in training, he handles long sessions really well. So... If he gets an opportunity to fight for the championship belt right now, then yes. If no one manages to stop him early in the game, then with each round it will get increasingly difficult, because he will only... He will only keep getting stronger and more powerful.

About the belt. There's this chart... It was made as a joke, but it clearly reflects the point: there are people whom Dana White really likes—like, for example, Khamzat Chimaev is at the very top—and at the bottom, there are those he doesn't like at all, like Movsar. And at the very bottom, there's just Arman Tsarukyan, and I think there's someone else from his company as well. So, what do you think—after the fight Movsar just had, where he fought standing up and addressed all the criticisms that had been made against him before—will he be given a chance to fight for the title against Alex Volkanovski?

How many years has he been winning already? Of course, he deserves a shot. But they have their own plans. I can't say for sure, I can't say right now—they have their own plans. They have their own management, they have their own plan for all of this. I don't know. Maybe they'll give him a chance. Of course, he deserves it, he needs to be given a chance.

Sergey, from your perspective as a pro fighter, which specific moments in the match did you find most enjoyable? What would you personally want to rewatch, and what would you recommend that the viewers rewatch?

The moments I just explained, with the dropping down, when Movsar hit him in the groin twice—not everyone probably noticed those moments. Then, people pointed out to me that Movsar was able to take him down easily, but couldn't keep him there. In that specific moment as well, you can clearly see that a incredible amount of work was done on simply getting back up, because Movsar himself isn't small or light at all, and yet he just manages to stand right back up with Movsar still on his back. He really did a fantastic job working with his hands, effectively breaking Movsar's tight grip, turning himself around, and consequently Movsar couldn't apply the same intense pressure that he used to be able to provide before. Also, that was a really good moment, you know, it's very interesting that such good work was done. As for Movsar, trading strikes with strikers in the early rounds is, honestly, risky and very dangerous. Because as long as there's strength in the hands and legs, it's very dangerous to exchange like that with good strikers. You can even the odds a bit through wrestling or clinching, to tire out your opponent a little, and only then start working calmly in the stand-up, putting on a show.

I completely agree that the wrestling moments, especially when Movsar got fired up in the last round and showed such beautiful wrestling, you definitely can't complain here that wrestling can ever be uninteresting. Regarding what you just said, am I right in understanding that if Murphy had been your opponent, you would have worn him out with wrestling in the early rounds, and then put on a beautiful, spectacular fight?

If you have a game plan to finish your opponent early, and if you’re also preparing good striking and, especially, have great cardio like a master, then maybe you can wear him down a bit from the first round to even the odds, and then calmly work in the stand-up, trade shots, and look for striking opportunities to finish.

You retired in 2022 and left the octagon. What are you up to now? They say there are no former intelligence officers, but there are former fighters.

My life has changed drastically, it’s taken a different direction now, alhamdulillah. Well, inside, I’m probably still the same athlete, the same fighter, but now I try to focus on these new aspects. I try to set it aside a bit, put it on the back burner. I spend more time wrestling, more time with my family, more time working in the league, and doing community work. Life has changed a lot. I stay in touch with friends, with fighters, with everyone. I keep in contact, go to the gym, and train as well. We often talk and spend a lot of quality time together. Well, yeah, I guess there really can't be any more fighters around here. You either have that spark inside you or you simply don't, I suppose. I mean, it's definitely deep down inside of me, but I try to keep it under control, to keep it hidden away from everyone, I guess. I try not to let it all out. After all, we're only human, we're weak. If I let it out, everything will come out again. Why do you need it? I don't want to go back. I really don't want to go back.

Sergey, thank you for taking the time to talk today and for breaking down Movsar Evloev's fights. Well, that's the end of our video discussion. Thank you. Watch us next week. Bye.