Alexander Volkanovski successfully defended his UFC featherweight title against the unbeaten Movsar Evloev at UFC 333, held at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The two-time champion maintained his grip on the belt, overcoming Evloev, who had remained undefeated since his UFC debut in 2019.
Volkanovski entered the fight off back-to-back title wins over Diego Lopes, while Evloev carried a 10-0 record into the main event, making this a significant test for both fighters. Despite Evloev’s unbeaten streak, Volkanovski’s experience and championship pedigree proved decisive in retaining his belt.
The event also featured a bantamweight trilogy bout in the co-main event between champion Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili. Yan, who defeated Dvalishvili at UFC 323 last December to reclaim the 135-pound title, once again faced his rival in a high-stakes match. Yan’s previous victory stopped Dvalishvili from becoming the first fighter to defend a UFC title four times in a calendar year and ended a 14-fight winning streak for Dvalishvili.
The main card on Paramount+ began at 2 p.m. ET and included Lone’er Kavanagh versus Ramazan Temirov, Alexander Volkov against Rizvan Kuniev, and Aaron Pico facing Losene Keita. Earlier in the day, the preliminary card featured Azamat Murzakanov battling Dominick Reyes, Nikita Krylov taking on Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, Abus Magomedov versus Cam Rowston, and Grant Dawson fighting Nurullo Aliev.
The early prelims, which started at 10 a.m. ET, saw Colby Thicknesse matched with Asaf Chopurov, Abubakar Vagaev against Jacob Malkoun, Bolaji Oki facing Daniel Santos, Kody Steele versus Noah Gugnon, and Iasmin Lucindo battling Nicolle Caliari.
UFC 333 brought together a strong lineup, but the focus remained on Volkanovski’s title defence and Yan’s bantamweight trilogy. Volkanovski’s win keeps him atop the featherweight division, extending his reign against a fighter who arrived in the UFC undefeated and with strong momentum.
According to Yahoo Sports.
