Movsar Evloev takes aim at women’s MMA: ‘It’s so hard’ to watch

Undefeated UFC featherweight Movsar Evloev has criticized women's mixed martial arts, stating he finds the sport difficult to watch and questioning its entertainment value. The Russian fighter claimed to have enjoyed only a single women's bout—Rose Namajunas' 2018 title defence rematch against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 223—while dismissing virtually all other female matchups he has witnessed.

Evloev's remarks join a pattern of male fighters publicly expressing skepticism about women's MMA. Khabib Nurmagomedov has previously stated that women do not belong in the sport except for rare elite exceptions like Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko. Similarly, Sean Strickland has voiced broader criticism of women's sports, claiming an average male could defeat Nunes.

"I don't watch women's fights," Evloev told MMA Junkie. "I can't watch; it's so hard. All the fights I watched of women weren't good. Maybe they need a separate UFC just for women and we will see who watches that."

Evloev's comments carry particular irony given his own recent history. The 20-0 fighter, who finally secured his long-awaited featherweight title shot against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333 on October 24 in Abu Dhabi, has drawn significant criticism for the lack of finishes in his UFC career—a pattern he attributes to his opponents' defensive shells rather than his own performance style.