Violence is coming to the desert.
During the UFC 330 broadcast last night, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced that Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will finally defend his title against undefeated Russian contender Movsar Evloev in UFC 333’s main event on Sat., Oct. 24, 2026, inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
In the co-main event, Bantamweight champion Petr Yan will complete his trilogy against former titleholder Merab Dvalishvili.
Volkanovski (28-4) will attempt to break his tie with Jose Aldo for the most title-fight wins in UFC Featherweight history. A victory over Evloev would give “The Great” a record-breaking ninth championship-fight win at 145 pounds and further establish him as the greatest Featherweight in UFC history—if he is not already.
The 37-year-old Australian is riding a two-fight winning streak, with both victories coming against Diego Lopes. Volkanovski first defeated Lopes to reclaim the vacant title before beating him again in his first defense of his second championship reign.
After winning 10 consecutive UFC fights, Evloev (20-0) will FINALLY receive his shot at UFC gold when he steps inside the Octagon opposite “The Great.”
The undefeated Russian is coming off a majority decision win over Lerone Murphy at UFC London earlier this year. Before that, Evloev earned victories over former Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and perennial contender Arnold Allen.
With the series tied at one win apiece, Yan and Dvalishvili will finally put a bow on their rivalry in Abu Dhabi.
The two first met in March 2023, with Dvalishvili cruising to a dominant, lopsided unanimous decision victory. Yan got his revenge at UFC 323 in Dec. 2025, reclaiming the Bantamweight championship and spoiling the Georgian’s attempt to make UFC history with four successful title defenses in one calendar year.
Yan (20-5) is riding a four-fight winning streak, while Dvalishvili (21-5) had his incredible 14-fight unbeaten run snapped in their rematch.
Here is the rest of the stacked UFC 333 card:
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev
Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov
Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Arnold Allen vs. Aaron Pico
Dominick Reyes vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev
Abus Magomedov vs. Cam Rowston
Grant Dawson vs. Nurullo Aliev
To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.
