Outside Source
Mendez recently acknowledged Movsar Evloev as the most deserving UFC featherweight title contender. However, the American Kickboxing Academy head coach believes that Evloev has been deprived of a title shot so far because of the lack of his drawing power. Mendez further noted that O’Malley received an immediate rematch against Merab Dvalishvili despite losing his bantamweight strap via a lackluster decision.
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However, Mendez doesn’t think O’Malley is getting another title shot anytime soon. According to Mendez, “Suga” has lost some of his stardom after consecutive title losses against Dvalishvili.
’The Eyeballs Are Not Gonna Be on Him’
“Movsar, look at him — they are passing him up because not that many people are interested to see him, even though he deserves it,” Mendez told Know Time. “He is No. 1 in my opinion, but is he getting it? How come Sean O’Malley got title shots after a lackluster performance? Now, what would really be a shock is if he got a title shot after this last performance. Now, I would think that he is going back to the drawing board, because again, the eyeballs are not gonna be on him. Because of the last performance, people are gonna go, ‘Nah, we’re not gonna watch him.’… So his marketability is not there anymore. So they are gonna have to figure out somebody else.”
O’Malley was submitted by Dvalishvili in their rematch at UFC 316 this past June. O’Malley managed to defend his title just once against Marlon Vera after winning it against Aljamain Sterling. Meanwhile, Evloev is undefeated with nine UFC wins to his name, over the likes of Diego Lopes, Arnold Allen and Sterling. While Alexander Volkanovski also acknowledges the Russian as the top contender, the champion believes Lerone Murphy might get the next title shot after spoiling former Bellator star Aaron Pico’s UFC debut with a highlight-reel knockout.
Javier Mendez believes Movsar deserves a title shot, but the UFC prioritizes hype, explaining why Sean O’Malley received his opportunity 🥊
“Movsar, look at him — they are passing him up because not that many people are interested to see him, even though he deserves it. He is… pic.twitter.com/9urDeRjgP7
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) October 20, 2025
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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