MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at UFC 333's main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev.
Alexander Volkanovski UFC 333 preview
Staple info:
- Record: 28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC
- Height: 5'6" Age: 38 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 71.5"
- Last fight: Decision win over Diego Lopes (Jan. 31, 2026)
- Camp: Freestyle MMA/Bangtao Muay Thai (Australia)
- Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/kickboxing
- Risk management: Excellent
Supplemental info:
- + 2x UFC featherweight champion
- + Regional MMA titles
- + Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
- + National wrestling gold medalist
- + 13 KO victories
- + 3 submission wins
- + 7 first-round finishes
- + Knockout power
- + Consistent pace and pressure
- + Excellent feints and footwork
- + Accurate shot selection and counters
- ^ Educated lead hand and hard leg kicks
- + Solid wrestling ability
- ^ Takedowns, transitions, scrambles
- + Good ground striking from topside
Movsar Evloev UFC 333 preview
Staple info:
- Record: 20-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC
- Height: 5'7" Age: 32 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 72.5"
- Last fight: Decision win over Lerone Murphy(March 21, 2026)
- Camp: American Top Team (Florida)
- Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
- Risk management: Excellent
Supplemental info:
- + M-1 bantamweight title
- + Greco-Roman wrestling base
- + 3 KO victories
- + 4 submission wins
- + 2 first-round finishes
- + Consistent pace and pressure
- ^ Good cardio and conditioning
- + Improved boxing ability
- ^ Solid head movement off punches
- + Strong inside the clinch
- + Excellent takedowns/chain wrestling
- ^ In the open or against the fence
- + Superb scrambles and transitions
- ^ Works well to and from riding positions
- + Consistently closes rounds strong
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev breakdown: Pace and pressure
The main event in Abu Dhabi features a featherweight title fight between two men who are more than familiar with pace and pressure.
An acclaimed wrestler-turned-rugby player, Volkanovski initially stepped onto the scene as a come-forward slugger who typically approached the pocket like an oncoming juggernaut from his compact stance. A natural athlete, Volkanovski shows little issue when having to crash distance with his patent kicks and crosses, strikes that have typically been set up off of prodding jabs.
However, since incorporating the influences of Brad Riddell and his sister gyms City Kickboxing and Bangtao Muay Thai, Volkanovski has sharpened his feints, footwork, and overall striking fundamentals, measuring and moving in space more smoothly and on balance than before. The 38-year-old Australian will now change up his combination approach, doing things like leading with stance-debasing kicks and finishing off combinations with a long lead hand.
Volkanovski has also taken some of the feinting swagger from his stablemates, showing or throwing away certain shots to land others with a bigger picture in mind. As one of the better positional strikers MMA has to offer, Volkanovski has put on many masterclasses in the octagon that involve circling off his jab.
This basic approach allows Volkanovski to nullify certain weapons and perceived range advantages, while simultaneously dictating the overall pace and setting traps along the way. I suspect we’ll see a lot more boxing tactics out of Volkanovski this weekend, considering the kick counters that his current counterpart has lying in wait.
Enter Evloev.
Even though Evloev comes from a Greco-Roman wrestling base, the 32-year-old phenom comports himself like a Russian version of Frankie Edgar on the feet.
Working off a similar bounce to his step, Evloev has steadily improved his boxing fundamentals over the years. Whether he’s poking and prodding off of his lead side or putting together combinations off of the counter, Evloev does well when it comes to moving his head offline with his punches (something that seems smartly hardwired into his style).
Not only does doing things like rolling your head off crosses make you harder to counter, but the head movement also helps disguise the level-changing threats that are baked into Evloev’s game.
Shifting overhand left by Movsar, threatens with the knee tap but comes up with the rear right uppercut. pic.twitter.com/EXyRfPXttk
— Feño 🏴 (@fenoxsky) October 19, 2026
In recent years, we’ve seen Evloev incorporate more southpaw shifting into his approach. Whether he’s setting up rear kicks or looking for a safe outlet off of darting right hands, Evloev offers some tricky looks that Volkanovski can’t afford to overlook.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev point of interest: Winning the wrestling
Considering the crux of Evloev’s game, winning the wrestling will be crucial for both parties this weekend.
Coming from a wrestling style reliant on upper-body attacks and perfect positional reads, Evloev has a clear knack for navigating clinch spaces. When Evloev feels even an inkling of weight or positional displacement on his opponent's hips, the Russian will make immediate hay in the form of tosses, reversals and mat returns.
Movsar Evloev showing the principals of one of my favorite head-and-arm front-choke counters: He simultaneously creates space between his neck and shoulder by wrapping the caught arm behind Lentz’s elbow, which opens up airways and gives him similar mechanics to a Peterson roll: pic.twitter.com/aD5bwEFuQc
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) February 3, 2026
Evloev, who has smartly not relied on his Greco base, has also shown himself to be capable of executing more traditional takedowns and has the transitional chops to hold his own in more folk-style scrambles. Moving shop to American Top Team, Evloev demonstrates growth in all areas – including his submission offense and defense.
Evloev is relentless when it comes to working to and from strong riding positions, but his lack of finishes makes me question both his checkmate ability and his approach against a seemingly unbreakable opponent in Volkanovski.
Since reining in his aggression and fighting smarter, Volkanovski appears to be even harder to meaningfully take down and control due to his overall awareness of positioning – particularly against the fence.
Alex Volkanovski’s counter-grappling notes—love that he uses my favorite MMA getup: half guard to single-leg getups
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) February 7, 2023
Doesn’t reap the leg for extra leverage but nails the crucial detail of LOW underhooks BELOW the ass, as this helps thwart front-choke counters/allows re-wrestling pic.twitter.com/emQOSraVXw
Even when taken down, Volkanovski displays solid head positioning and hand-fighting, as well as smart details like a low underhook (limiting front-choke counters) when looking to execute things like half-guard getups.
Even when taken down by Chad Mendes and rear-mounted, Volkanovski’s deliberate reach across/framing creates the illusion of further back exposure/control (hence opening up opps to slide back into half-guard) as the basic theme/muscle memory from above also gets the job done here: pic.twitter.com/NehnXtPItc
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) February 7, 2023
Offensively, Volkanovski seems to stay consistent with said trends, appearing to prefer more efficient options like inside trips from the clinch as opposed to the traditional double and single-legs against the fence that he used to favor. When Volkanovski can establish top position, he embraces his honey badger-like sensibilities by staking claims to positions through punishing strikes and rides.
Alexander Volkanovski keeps the theme of attacking off of base disruptions alive inside of the clinch, which allows him to get some solid shots off opposite Islam Makhachev at #UFC284https://t.co/0q3XBGXodepic.twitter.com/MNLEEZvTBI
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) October 19, 2023
Even if Volkanovski isn’t able to hit his patented inside or outside trip takedowns, the Australian native knows how to make hay off brief, stance-debasing moments.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev odds
The oddsmakers and the public have basically settled for pick’em prices, listing both Volkanovski and Evloev at -110 a piece via FanDuel.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev prediction, pick
Between Evloev’s shiny undefeated record and Volkanovski’s age for the division, I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked to see the betting lines be as tight as they are. Aside from Father Time being undefeated, the ever-annoying betting bros in this space will be the first to remind you that fighters whose names end in “ev” or “ov” carry an insane winning rate in Abu Dhabi (as they often cite stats that are both outright incorrect and lacking actual context that easily explains things, but I digress).
But as far as Evloev’s actual chances from a skills perspective go, there are valid reasons to like the unbeaten Russian.
Not only does Evloev appear to have solid stamina and staying power, but the 12-year pro has made some steady progress in this striking too, and could produce some big moments. In his last fight opposite Lerone Murphy, Evloev not only struck well with a superior striking threat, but he had the majority of his best moments from southpaw.
Since Volkanovski carries a similar stature to Evloev and primarily fights from an orthodox stance, competent southpaw attacks (particularly double-attack dynamics) serve as an inherent kryptonite to any archetype orbiting around a wrestle-boxing foundation. Add in Evloev’s ability to wrestle and scramble at an elite level, and the challenger from American Top Team is more than live to take the title from an on-paper perspective.
However, when zooming out on resumes and looking closer at skills, I can’t help but feel like this could be a stylistically favorable matchup for Volkanovski.
Despite lacking lights-out takedown defense within the first layer (which is reflected in the champ’s takedown defense stats), Volkanovski has traditionally done well when it comes to anti-grappling against elite wrestlers and submission artists alike.
Even in Volkanovski’s recent losses– which came at the hands of fellow pound-for-pound greats – it was the striking that actually did the Australian in.
Evloev’s insanely convenient ability to close rounds strong has kept him ahead in close, and in some cases contentious, contests, but he’ll be going against one of the best gameplanners and five-round fighters this sport has seen. Evloev may have some lively looks on the feet that Volkanovski will need to respect standing, but the Russian can be a bit rote when it comes to his wrestling tactics (e.g., consistently tripping and hacking at his opponent's right leg when looking for clinch takedowns).
I also noticed that, aside from straight punches, a decent proportion of Evloev’s strikes absorbed stats seem to come from strikes in transit – which could bode badly against someone like Volkanovski.
Alexander Volkanovski keeps the theme of attacking off of base disruptions alive inside of the clinch, which allows him to get some solid shots off opposite Islam Makhachev at #UFC284https://t.co/0q3XBGXodepic.twitter.com/MNLEEZvTBI
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) October 19, 2023
Not only does Volkanovski consistently strike off the breaks in close, but the sitting champion knows how to make some serious hay off of straight punches and counter hooks alike.
Volk blocks the uppercut with an active high guard and check hooks inside Diego's follow up right hand. pic.twitter.com/000nqFMdxB
— Feño 🏴 (@fenoxsky) October 20, 2026
Although it feels like I’m cruising for bruising by backing an aging fighter in this sort of spot, I truly believe that Volkanovski has had excited eyes on Evloev for a reason – and that’s because he also believes that they match up well together.
A competitive decision is the most likely outcome either way, but I’ll officially pick Volkanovski to get the finish he’s been searching for by hurting Evloev with left hooks and right hands alike for a third-round stoppage win.
Prediction: Volkanovski inside the distance
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev start time, where to watch
As the main event, Volkanovski and Evloev are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 4:15 p.m. ET. The fight streams on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev prediction, pick: UFC 333 title fight ends early?
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