On March 21, 2026, the UFC Fight Night 270 tournament concluded at The O2 arena in London. In the main bout, Movsar Evloev (#1 in the featherweight rankings) faced off against Britain's Lerone Murphy (#3 in the rankings) – and won by judges' decision.
Tactical puzzle
The first two rounds surprised everyone: Evloev, known as a specialist wrestler, barely used his strong suit. The fight took place in stand-up, where Murphy was considered the favorite. The rounds were close, and on home turf, it seemed the judges might give the edge to the Briton.
Turning point
In the third round, Movsar finally started incorporating wrestling – and took the round, though again with a minimal advantage.
The fourth round became critical: referee Mark Goddard deducted a point from Evloev for a repeated groin strike. It seemed the Russian was losing on the scorecards and would definitely lose now.
But Movsar responded with character. After the point deduction, he "went all in" – started aggressively hunting for the finish, outstriking Murphy both in stand-up and on the ground. The fourth and fifth rounds went to Evloev.
Result
The judges' verdict: 48-46, 48-46, 47-47 – Movsar Evloev wins by majority decision.
What it means
This is Evloev's 20th career win with zero losses, his 10th win in the UFC, and most importantly – now the Russian has no competitors for a title shot against champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Movsar himself said after the fight: "UFC has no more excuses."
Despite the close nature of the bout, the boring style for some, and weak media presentation – Evloev did his job. The zero in the losses column is preserved, title shot in the bag.