A major featherweight fight between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy will take the headline spot at UFC Fight Night 271 in London, England on March 21st.

The 28-year-old Evloev is undefeated in his 18-fight career to date, including nine wins in a row since joining the UFC back in 2019.

It’s a run that includes victories over numerous notable players in the division like Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes and Dan Ige.

That makes him the No.1 contender in the division, and there’s a strong case to be made that he’s already done more than enough to be entitled to the next shot at the 145lb title, but the UFC brass opted to go a different route, and so Evloev has to face another top contender instead.

The 34-year-old Murphy is also undefeated in his 17-0-1 career, and like Evloev he’s also put together a strong run in the Octagon, as since taking a draw in his promotional debut he’s gone on to win nine all nine of his fights, beating the likes of Aaron Pico, Josh Emmett, Dan Ige and Edson Barboza.

That leaves him ranked No.4 in the division heading into this fight, which could end up serving as a title eliminator for the upcoming Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes rematch on January 31st.