UFC featherweight (65.8 kg) champion Alexander Volkanovski, 38, of Australia will make the second defense of his title against Movsar Evloev, the 32-year-old Russian who is 20-0.
The UFC stages "UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev" on the 25th, Korean time, at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In the main event, Volkanovski meets top-ranked challenger Evloev. In the co-main event, UFC bantamweight (61.2 kg) champion Petr Yan, 33, of Russia faces former champion Merab Dvalishvili, 35, of Georgia in their third meeting.
Volkanovski is chasing the record for most wins in UFC featherweight title fights with nine, which would move him past Jose Aldo. He defended the belt five times during his first reign and has made one defense in his second. A win would make him the greatest fighter in UFC featherweight history in both name and substance.
The challenger is Evloev, an unbeaten fighter riding a 20-fight winning streak. He held the bantamweight title in the Russian promotion M-1 and has won 10 straight since debuting in the UFC against Choi Seung-woo in 2019. A Master of Sport in Greco-Roman wrestling in Russia, he boasts powerful grappling. He is also a cousin of Musa Evloev, the Tokyo Olympics Greco-Roman wrestling gold medalist. He averages 4.8 takedowns per 15 minutes in the UFC.
"A lot of people suspect my skills are declining every time I step into the octagon," Volkanovski said. "I believe the media headline after this fight will be, 'How can he perform like this at 38?'" He added: "There is a reason people see me as having the edge in stylistic terms, such as anti-wrestling. Evloev will pose many challenges, but I can handle them."
The challenger also warned that Volkanovski remains at the top of his game. "Volkanovski is right," he said. "He is still dangerous, and he is at an age that can fairly be called his prime." Still, he expressed confidence in a battle of stamina.
"Volkanovski's conditioning is good, but what matters is who he is fighting," Evloev said. "He has not fought an opponent who applies pressure the way I do. We will find out this weekend whose conditioning is better."
The co-main event is a bantamweight title fight between rivals who have split their first two meetings. Challenger Dvalishvili, 21-5, beat Yan, 20-5, by unanimous decision after five rounds in 2023. But Yan defeated Dvalishvili at UFC 323 last December to claim the title. This third fight will settle the rivalry.