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Movsar Evloev has revealed that he shared the gym with Alexander Volkanovski in Thailand many years ago. At the time, Evloev was still competing as a bantamweight while Volkanovski was a featherweight preparing for a high-profile bout against Jose Aldo. Evloev admitted that after moving up to do a couple of sparring rounds with the future champion, he never expected their paths to cross inside the Octagon due to their different weight classes.
The undefeated challenger praised Volkanovski's incredible longevity, noting that the Australian was already on a ten-fight winning streak during their old gym sessions. Evloev stated that it feels like Volkanovski has constantly been in his physical prime, but insisted that the division has now entered a new era. The Russian prospect made it clear that his time has officially arrived and he plans to take the featherweight crown.
Volkanovski confirmed the past encounters but quickly downplayed their relevance to their upcoming main event at UFC 333 on October 24. The champion stated that the training happened a very long time ago when Evloev was still a young up-and-coming fighter. Volkanovski made it clear that he holds zero bad blood toward the challenger, adding that he respects Evloev but plans to fully handle business in Abu Dhabi to prove he is still the best on the planet.
