Movsar Evloev has a bone to pick. Dana White, the big boss at UFC, wasn’t exactly glued to his fight against Arnold Allen. Or so he says.
Turns out, White had some choice words about the match. But here’s the kicker: Evloev heard through the grapevine that White was more into the NFL playoffs at the time. Yeah, you heard that right.
So, they clashed at UFC 297. Evloev kept his streak alive, winning by unanimous decision. But it wasn’t the fireworks show everyone hoped for. More like a strategic chess match, with Evloev playing it safe.
White didn’t mince words. He thought the fight was a snooze-fest. “That fight sucked the wind right out of the arena,” he said. Ouch.
But Evloev’s got a different take. He claims Dan Lambert, the head honcho at American Top Team, saw White watching football instead of the fight. Imagine that!
The drama peaked when Allen got Evloev in a headlock and threw some knees. They were illegal, by the way. That’s when White might have actually started paying attention.
Evloev thinks White’s criticism was a bit of a nudge. Maybe a way to keep him hungry, to dull his championship shine just a tad. They chatted after the fight, with Lambert spilling the beans about White’s divided attention.
Evloev confronted White about the whole ordeal. He made it clear: he’s not in it for the laughs. He’s after the belt, plain and simple.
“Yes he threw it in, noted it, but as I said, it was not the coolest fight of the evening, not the most fun,” Evloev admitted. But he’s got his eyes on the prize, telling Dana, “I’m not here to amuse you, I came here for the belt.”
And that’s the tea. Evloev’s on a mission, and it’s more about the gold than the giggles.