UFC 333: Volkanovski stops unbeaten Evloev in round two, Yan edges Dvalishvili again

Alexander Volkanovski is still the UFC featherweight champion. The 38-year-old Australian stopped previously unbeaten Russian challenger Movsar Evloev with ground strikes at 4:54 of the second round in the UFC 333 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The finish came in the early hours of Sunday, Malaysia time. In the co-main event, Petr Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili for the second fight running to keep the bantamweight belt.

A late finish in round two

For most of the opening ten minutes Evloev's wrestling-heavy approach kept things close. Volkanovski broke it open late in the second round. He got on top, landed a burst of ground-and-pound and kept punching until the referee stopped it six seconds before the horn. It was the first professional defeat for Evloev, who arrived on a 10-fight winning streak in the UFC and had built his reputation on grinding out decisions rather than taking damage.

The result follows Volkanovski's unanimous-decision win over Diego Lopes at UFC 325 in January. That was his first defence after he took the title back in 2025, so this was his second defence of his second reign. His only loss at featherweight remains the 2024 knockout against Ilia Topuria.

Records fall in Abu Dhabi

The win puts Volkanovski ahead of Brazilian great Jose Aldo for the most UFC featherweight title-fight wins, with nine. Counting both reigns, he is now level with Aldo on title defences in the division. He also became the oldest man to defend the UFC featherweight championship. Before the fight he had talked openly about how long he would keep going. Afterwards, reports said, he sounded more inclined to carry on.

Yan settles the trilogy

Yan and Dvalishvili went the full 25 minutes again. All three judges scored it 48-47 for the Russian, giving him the trilogy 2-1. Yan won the title back from Dvalishvili at UFC 323 last December, and this first defence confirmed that result. Speaking afterwards, Yan said he would take on any challenger, and he named China's Song Yadong among them.

Fast finishes on the undercard

The rest of the main card was mostly short fights. Lone'er Kavanagh knocked out Ramazan Temirov at 4:28 of the first round at flyweight, and Aaron Pico needed just 1:14 to stop Losene Keita at featherweight. Pico then said he wants a title shot, or a rematch with Lerone Murphy if that doesn't come. Heavyweight veteran Alexander Volkov was the exception: he went the distance and beat Rizvan Kuniev on scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.

Further down the card there were several more quick stoppages. Dominick Reyes knocked out Azamat Murzakanov in 2:40. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev stopped Nikita Krylov in 2:38. Abus Magomedov submitted Cam Rowston with a guillotine in 1:44 and then called out Gregory Rodrigues. Grant Dawson beat Nurullo Aliev by unanimous decision.

What comes next

Volkanovski has now beaten two highly rated contenders this year, so the obvious question is who comes next and whether he keeps fighting into 2027. Evloev was the most credible challenger left who hadn't faced the champion, so the division's pecking order will need to be redrawn. At bantamweight, Yan's win over Dvalishvili ends their rivalry for now and moves the division on to new contenders.

Key takeaways

• Volkanovski (38) stopped Evloev by second-round TKO at 4:54 to retain the UFC featherweight title.
• Evloev's first professional loss ended a 10-fight UFC winning streak.
• Volkanovski now holds the record for UFC featherweight title-fight wins (nine) and is the oldest featherweight champion to defend the belt.
• Petr Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili 48-47 on all three cards to win the trilogy and keep the bantamweight title.
• Kavanagh, Pico, Reyes and Yakhyaev all won by first-round stoppage.

FAQ

When and where was UFC 333 held? At Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 24 October 2026. The main card ran into the early hours of Sunday 25 October in Malaysia.

How did Volkanovski beat Evloev? By TKO from ground strikes at 4:54 of the second round.

Who won Yan vs Dvalishvili 3? Petr Yan, by unanimous decision with three 48-47 scorecards. He kept the UFC bantamweight title and won the trilogy 2-1.

Sources: CBS Sports, theScore, Yahoo Sports, Bleacher Report