- Oct 16, 2026
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Alexander Volkanovski puts his featherweight championship on the line Saturday at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, facing undefeated challenger Movsar Evloev.
Volkanovski, 38, became the first fighter older than 35 to capture a UFC title under 170 pounds in April 2025. The champion rebounded from consecutive knockout defeats to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria to reclaim gold, then defended against Diego Lopes in January. "His style is a perfect matchup for me, I truly believe that," Volkanovski said.
Evloev, 32, enters at 20-0 overall and 10-0 in the UFC, though he has recorded no finishes inside the octagon. The Russian enters as a slight underdog according to DraftKings.
The co-main event features a trilogy bout between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan. Dvalishvili, who won their first meeting in March 2023, lost to Yan in December 2025 while attempting a fourth men's bantamweight title defense in a calendar year. Dvalishvili entered that fight with a significant knee injury following a difficult camp.
Aaron Pico, 30, faces Losene Keita after Arnold Allen withdrew. Pico is 10-2 in his last 12 bouts.
Source: ESPN - Thu Oct 22, 8:53 AM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).