UFC 333 Preview: Volkanovski Defends Title Against Unbeaten Evloev

The Main Event

UFC 333 takes place on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, according to UFC.com. The main card airs on Paramount+ at 2 p.m. ET, with preliminary bouts starting at 10 a.m. ET because of the time difference with the Gulf, the promotion's own preview states.

In the main event, two-time featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (28-4) defends his belt against Movsar Evloev, who is unbeaten in 20 professional fights, including a 10-0 run inside the UFC, per UFC.com and CBS Sports.

What A Win Would Mean For Volkanovski

Volkanovski, 38, first won the featherweight title at UFC 245 in December 2019 and has held it across two separate reigns, interrupted by a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February 2024, according to Wikipedia's record of his title fights. He regained the vacant title by beating Diego Lopes at UFC 314 in April 2025, then retained it against Lopes again at UFC 325 in February 2026, per the same source.

CBS Sports reports that a victory over Evloev would be Volkanovski's seventh successful featherweight title defense, which would tie the UFC record of seven defenses at 145 pounds set by Jose Aldo. Other outlets, including Yahoo Sports, have described the fight in broader terms as a chance for Volkanovski to set a record ninth featherweight title win of his career; sources vary in how they count defenses versus total title fights, but all agree the result would push Volkanovski past or level with Aldo's standing mark.

ESPN notes that male UFC fighters aged 38 or older have historically won only about 37% of their bouts, context the outlet cites given Volkanovski's age. ESPN also notes that Volkanovski already became the first fighter over 35 to win a UFC title in a weight class below 170 pounds when he reclaimed the featherweight belt in April 2025.

According to ESPN and Yahoo Sports, Volkanovski has said he believes he is performing at the highest level of his career despite his age.

Evloev's Case For an Upset

Evloev, 32, has never lost as a professional and has never finished an opponent inside the UFC, a gap in his resume noted by ESPN's preview. UFC.com and CBS Sports both list his record at 20-0 overall and 10-0 in the UFC.

ESPN's panel of fighter-coaches split on the outcome but leaned toward Volkanovski: Fortis MMA's Sayif Saud picked Volkanovski by decision and Syndicate MMA's John Wood picked him by TKO, while the preview highlighted Evloev's grappling-heavy approach as the key variable in the fight.

Co-Main Event and Rest of the Card

The co-main event is a bantamweight title rematch between champion Petr Yan (20-5) and former champion Merab Dvalishvili (21-5), per ESPN. The pair are 1-1 in their series: Dvalishvili won their March 2023 meeting, and Yan reclaimed the belt in a December 2025 rematch at UFC 323, according to UFC.com.

Other main-card bouts listed by UFC.com include flyweights Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov, heavyweights Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev, and featherweights Aaron Pico vs. Losene Keita. The preliminary card features light heavyweights Azamat Murzakanov vs. Dominick Reyes and Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, plus a lightweight bout between Grant Dawson and Nurullo Aliev.