Volkanovski to defend featherweight belt vs. Evloev at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi

Alexander Volkanovski has a tough test ahead of him if he hopes to build up another streak on top of the featherweight world.

The 145-pound champ will get a chance to defend his belt for a second time when he squares off against the unbeaten Movsar Evloev in the main event of UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 24, it was announced Saturday.

In the co-main event, bantamweight champ Petr Yan will look to defend his title in a rematch against Merab Dvalishvili, who he took the belt from at UFC 323 back in December.

Volkanovski (28-4) is riding a two-fight win streak after winning the vacated featherweight belt in 2025 by beating Diego Lopes, then cemented his spot as the champ in a rematch against the Brazilian back in January at UFC 325.

He'll now have a completely new challenge on his hands as he gets set to take on Evloev, who sports a spotless 20-0 record in pro MMA and a 10-0 record since joining UFC in 2019.

Evloev has steadily risen through the featherweight ranks, taking down the likes of Lopes, Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen and, most recently, Lerone Murphy.

Alexander "The Great" will have a chance to set a record in this bout as he looks to break a tie with José Aldo and earn a ninth overall title defence at featherweight. He had previously defended his belt four times between 2020 and 2022.

Meanwhile, in the co-main, Yan (20-5) looks to win his first title defence after winning the bantamweight belt for a third time.

He'll run into a very familiar opponent in Dvalishvili (21-5), as they'll meet for a third time after previous fights in December and in March of 2023. Dvalishvili won their first encounter, headlining a Fight Night event.

The event in Abu Dhabi will be the 24th UFC event hosted in the city and the 11th pay-per-view event. The most recent pay-per-view event in the city was UFC 321: Aspinall vs. Gane, which took place on Oct. 25, 2025. It will once again take place at the Etihad Arena, a venue which seats approximately 18,000 located on Yas Island.

Here's a look at the rest of the card announced so far for the Oct. 24 event.