UFC 333went down yesterday (Sat., Oct. 24, 2026) inside Etihad Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), which saw Alexander Volkanovski
defeat Movsar Evloev via second-round technical knockout (TKO) to retain his featherweight title (see it again here). In the co-main event of the evening Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili went to war for 25 minutes in what was an absolute back-and-forth brawl that resulted in “No Mercy” retaining his bantamweight title (video highlights here).
Biggest Winner: Alexander
Volkanovski
“The Great” proved yet again that Father Time isn’t going to take him out just yet, beating the previously-undefeated Evloev rather dominantly. That is now his third straight win — second straight title defense — his best run since 2022. When you look back at his only three defeats under the UFC banner, they came against Islam Makhachev (twice) and Ilia Topuria, two of the absolute best fighters in all of MMA. That said, it shows you the level “The Great” is competing at 38 years of age with no plans of slowing down soon. He may be running out of challenges at 145 pounds, so a potential move up to lightweight (again) could be in order. For now, “The Great” can enjoy his latest title fight win before he ponders his next career move.
Runner Up: Petr Yan
In what was truly one of the best fights of 2026, Yan outlasted a very durable Dvalishvili after 25 minutes to retain his bantamweight title. It was truly a battle of grit and determination but “No Mercy” proved that he is without out a shadow of a doubt the best 135-pound MMA fighter on the planet at the moment. In the process, he put the rivalry to bed once and for all, and now he can look ahead to his next challenge as champion. That extra $100,000 also makes the win sweeter. Yan showed once again why he considers himself the best striker in all of MMA, and also showed off his ever-improving takedown defense by shutting down Merab’s wrestling for the most part. Yan is only getting stronger and better, and it will be interesting to see who gets next.
Honorable Mention: Dominick Reyes
Reyes once again turned back the hands of time by delivering an absolute cracker of a knockout over Azamat Murzakanov in the very first round (highlights). He has now won two straight and is 5-1 in his last six fights, with his lone defeat coming at the hands of current division champion, Carlos Ulberg. He should crack the Top 5 following his big win, which will get him closer to another title shot with a few more wins.
Biggest Loser: Movsar Evloev
I have to put Evloev here for the sheer fact that I expected him to put up a better performance in his long-desired and first-ever title shot. Evloev did run through the gauntlet to get the spot, taking out the likes of Lerone Murphy, Diego Lopes and Aljamain Sterling, but against Volkanovski he didn’t offer up a ton of offense or resistance before getting knocked out. As a result, another title fight will be hard to come by, so he will have to go back to the drawing board and rack up several wins before he gets considered again.
For complete UFC 333 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE!
