UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi: Volkanovski defends featherweight belt against Evloev
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Alexander Volkanovski faces undefeated Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Oct 24.
The card also stages a Yan-Dvalishvili trilogy bout for the bantamweight belt.
Background
Alexander Volkanovski is a two-time UFC featherweight champion from Australia who held the title from December 2019 to February 2024, defending it five times, and regained the vacant belt in April 2025 by beating Diego Lopes. Movsar Evloev is an undefeated Russian featherweight, ranked No. 1, at 20-0 in MMA and 10-0 in the UFC since his 2019 debut. The event is the UFC's 24th visit to Abu Dhabi and its first there since July 2026, and the eleventh numbered event held in the city. The co-main event is a trilogy: Merab Dvalishvili beat Petr Yan by unanimous decision in March 2023, and Yan avenged that at UFC 323 in December 2025 to reclaim the bantamweight belt.
How it unfolded
- Mar 2023Merab Dvalishvili defeated Petr Yan via unanimous decision in their first meeting at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili.
- Dec 6, 2025At UFC 323 in Las Vegas, Petr Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili to avenge his 2023 loss and claim the 135-pound belt a second time, snapping Dvalishvili's 14-fight win streak.
- Sep 18, 2026Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev faced off at the UFC 333 press conference at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
- Oct 19, 2026The UFC published its fight-by-fight preview for UFC 333.
- Oct 23, 2026Official weigh-ins were held; Volkanovski weighed 144.5 and Evloev 145, while Yan and Dvalishvili both came in at 135.
- Oct 23, 2026Nicolle Caliari weighed in above the strawweight limit of 116 pounds, forfeiting 30 percent of her purse to her opponent; the fight proceeds as scheduled.
- Oct 24, 2026UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with the main card at 2 p.m. ET streamed on Paramount+.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- MMA Mania's Adam Guillen notes a 13-fight betting parlay risking $5 to win $26,262.53 has near-zero chances of hitting.
- Analysts
- MMA Mania left Iasmin Lucindo vs. Nicolle Caliari out of its betting picks because of what it called a ridiculous weight miss.