- Oct 16, 2026
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Movsar Evloev will challenge two-time featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333 this Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
Evloev enters with an unblemished 20-0 professional record and 10-0 in the UFC since his 2019 debut. Despite that streak, the challenger has yet to record a knockout or submission in the promotion. His past four victories came against Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen and Diego Lopes. Lopes subsequently leapfrogged Evloev for title opportunities, fighting Volkanovski in a pair of championship bouts.
Volkanovski has suggested Evloev's wrestling alone will not suffice and that the challenger will need to engage in stand-up exchanges.
Evloev expressed optimism about ending his finish drought. "Now, maybe my first finish in my first title fight, why not?" he said.
Other UFC developments include Saturday night's Buckley vs. Malott event in Edmonton, where Joel Faglier earned a second-round knockout over Javad Mahjoub. Erin Blanchfield faces Jasmine Jasudavicius on that card with potential title implications. Raul Rosas Jr. meets Clay Guida on Nov. 28 in Chicago on RAF mats. Farid Basharat was recently released despite holding a 16-0 record.
Source: MMA Fighting - Sun Oct 18, 9:00 AM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).