Unbeaten! Movsar Yevloyev — Future UFC Champion?
I was scrolling through the fight reel on a rainy Saturday, chai steaming beside me, when Movsar Evloev’s name popped up like a surprise guest at a wedding. I hit play and the whole night turned into a wild storytelling session – the kind you’d have with friends who think “spice level” applies to both food and fight footage.
➤ From Sunzha Streets to the Mat
Movsar grew up in Sunzha, a tiny town tucked in the mountains of Ingushetia. The streets there feel like a maze of old stone houses and kids who turn every alley into a makeshift dojo. He didn’t have fancy gyms at age five; he had a backyard, a rope, and the stubborn urge to wrestle anyone who dared challenge him. By the time he was ten, the locals already called him “the human bulldozer” because he could push a grown man out of a circle faster than you can say “samosa”.
➤ Greco‑Roman Roots: The 12‑Year‑Old Grappler
At twelve, a schoolteacher who also coached the regional wrestling team spotted him. “You’ve got the grip of a python, kid,” the coach shouted, and handed Movsar a Greco‑Roman singlet. From that day, the mats became his second home. He learned to control an opponent’s torso, to turn a simple clinch into a chess move. The style forces you to keep your elbows tight and your hips low – perfect for the cold mountain air where you can’t waste energy.
He didn’t just learn; he devoured. He’d stay after practice, flicking water from his bottle onto the mat, then roll again and again. One night he fell asleep on the mat, his head resting on a pile of wrestling shoes. The next morning, his coach found him snoring, a towel draped over his face like a cape. “That’s dedication,” the coach muttered, not realizing he just invented a new training meme.
➤ Nart Club: The Forge
When he turned seventeen, Movsar walked into the Nart fighting club – a place named after the legendary Caucasian heroes who lifted mountains with their bare hands. The club smelled of sweat, leather, and a faint hint of biryani from the kitchen next door (the owner liked to feed the fighters). Here, he met mixed‑martial‑arts coaches who thought his wrestling was a perfect base for striking and submissions.
He started throwing elbows, learning jabs, and practicing Brazilian jiu‑jitsu. The first time he landed a clean jab, he shouted “Bhai!” and the whole gym erupted in laughter. The coaches said his footwork looked like a goat on a trampoline – unpredictable but effective. He laughed, too, because he actually felt like a goat sometimes, especially when he tried to do a spinning back kick and ended up twisting his ankle. Still, the goat analogy stuck, and now fans jokingly call him “The Goat‑Wrestler”.
➤ M‑1 Rampage and the UFC Call‑Up
Movsar’s first big break came at M‑1 Challenge 61. He faced a seasoned Russian striker who thought his own punches could break Movsar’s will. The fight started with a flurry of punches, but Movsar slipped a takedown, pinned the guy, and locked a kimura that made the opponent tap faster than a chai‑lover orders a refill. The crowd went wild, chanting “Evloev! Evloev!” in a voice that sounded like a mountain echo.
That win earned him a title shot at M‑1. He fought a fellow wrestler, and the bout turned into a grappling showcase. Movsar executed a rareankle‑pick to rear‑naked choke” combo that left commentators scrambling for words. He walked out with the belt, a smile, and a bag of fresh apples from the trainer’s wife (she swore the fruit helped his recovery).
The UFC noticed. Within months, he got the call‑up and flew to Las Vegas for his debut against Mike Grundy at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Sakai. The fight was a chess match. Grundy tried to keep the distance, but Movsar closed the gap, snatched a front‑headlock, and forced a split‑decision win. He celebrated by ordering a pizza with extra chili – “spice level 10,” he joked, “just like my grappling”.
➤ Cage‑Craft: Style, Escapes, and the “Tea‑Time” Tactics
What makes Movsar’s cage game unique First, his wrestling never looks rehearsed; it feels like he’s just playing a game of tug‑of‑war with his opponent’s torso. He loves to control the clinch, push the opponent against the cage, then slip a knee that feels like a gentle tap but sends the other guy’s balance wobbling.
Second, his escapes are like magic tricks. In his fight against Mads Burnell at UFC 251, Burnell locked a deep guillotine. Most fighters would panic, but Movsar rolled his shoulder, twisted his hips, and slipped out as if he were stepping out of a tight subway carriage. The crowd gasped, the commentators shouted “What a Houdini!” – and Burnell was left staring at an empty mat.
Third, he mixes a weird “tea‑time” rhythm into his striking. He’ll pause, sip water, glance at the clock, then launch a sudden burst of punches. It’s like he’s timing his attacks to the seconds you’d wait for a kettle to boil. One opponent later told me, “I thought he was just being polite, offering me tea. Then he knocked me out.” That’s Movsar for you – unpredictable, a little absurd and always a step ahead.
➤ Ups & Downs: Wins, Losses, and the Goat
Every fighter’s journey has bumps. After a string of wins, Movsar faced Jeremy Stephens at UFC 277. Stephens caught him with a spinning back fist that landed clean. Movsar hit the canvas, the crowd fell silent, and for a split second he thought about quitting. He got up, shook his head, and said “I’m not done yet” – a phrase he’d use on his Instagram story with a selfie in a kitchen apron.
He bounced back against Dan Hooker’s replacement (a surprise opponent named “The Tiger” who turned out to be a last‑minute replacement from a local gym). Movsar used his grappling to dominate, won by unanimous decision, and later joked that he’d “tamed a tiger with a hug”.
The goat story While training in a rural gym, the owner kept a goat named “Khadija” that liked to chew on the punching bags. One night, after a grueling spar, Movsar tried to do a solo drill, but Khadija nudged the bag, causing it to swing into him. He fell, the goat bleated, and the whole gym erupted in laughter. Movsar later posted a video of him doing push‑ups while the goat stared at him, captioned “My new spotter”. It went viral in the Russian MMA community and gave him a nickname “Goat‑Guard”.
➤ Odd Bits & Side Notes
- Eggs & Energy: Before every fight, Movsar eats twelve boiled eggs, two bananas, and a spoonful of honey. He swears the combo fuels his “explosive bursts”. The nutritionist on the team rolled his eyes, but the fighter never backs down from a ritual.
- Kefir Power: He drinks a liter of kefir every morning. He claims the probiotic helps his gut recover faster after a heavy spar. One teammate tried it, then spent the whole day running to the bathroom. Movsar laughed, “That’s the price of a strong gut!”
- Training with a Rope: In the off‑season, he trains with a 30‑meter rope tied between two trees, swinging his body like a pendulum to improve core strength. He once tried to do a double‑under while holding a dumbbell; the rope snapped, and he landed in a pile of leaves, shouting “I’m a human pretzel!”
➤ Final Thoughts Over Chai
Movsar’s story feels like a mountain trek – steep, rugged, full of unexpected turns, and with breathtaking views at the summit. From a kid wrestling his friends in Sunzha to a UFC contender who can escape a guillotine like a magician, his journey shows that raw grit, a dash of humor, and a sprinkle of odd habits can turn a local boy into a global fighter.
If you’re sipping chai and thinking about getting into MMA, remember Movsar’s mantra: “Train hard, eat weird, laugh at the goat, and never stop moving forward.” He may not always win every fight, but his heart beats louder than any crowd’s roar. And that, my friends, is the kind of spirit that makes us stay glued to the screen, yelling “Come on, Evloev!” until the night turns into sunrise.
