Volkanovski Stops Evloev at UFC 333 for Record Ninth Featherweight Title Win

Six seconds from the bell, Volkanovski makes history

Alexander Volkanovski retained the UFC featherweight championship by stopping previously unbeaten Movsar Evloev at 4:54 of the second round at UFC 333, earning a record ninth victory in a UFC featherweight title fight. The finish at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 24, 2026, moved the Australian ahead of Jose Aldo's eight title fight wins.

Volkanovski, 38, improved to 29 wins and four losses after dropping Evloev with punches and continuing to strike on the ground until referee Marc Goddard intervened. Six seconds remained before the end of the round. Evloev entered with 20 professional victories and no defeats, including 10 consecutive UFC wins, and left with a record of 20 wins and one loss.

The UFC's results and highlights page identifies the event's date and venue and provides access to results and official scorecards. The fight ended by technical knockout, meaning the referee stopped the contest because Evloev could no longer defend himself adequately.

Petr Yan also kept his championship, defeating Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in their third meeting. All three judges scored the bantamweight title fight 48-47. Elsewhere on the main card, Lone'er Kavanagh stopped Ramazan Temirov, Aaron Pico finished Losene Keita, and Alexander Volkov defeated Rizvan Kuniev on points.

Both champions had to overcome early resistance. Evloev troubled Volkanovski with his striking and repeated takedown attempts, while Dvalishvili's pressure forced Yan to work through a difficult opening before the Russian found the exchanges that helped him retain his belt.

How Volkanovski turned wrestling exchanges into an advantage

Volkanovski began with inside leg kicks and jabs, trying to push Evloev backward and interrupt his entries into wrestling range. Evloev answered with punches, body attacks and takedowns, repeatedly making the champion defend more than one kind of threat.

Evloev landed three takedowns across the contest according to the fight statistics. His early success getting Volkanovski to the canvas gave him opportunities, but keeping the Australian there proved much harder. Volkanovski repeatedly returned to his feet before the challenger could settle into a controlling position.

The crucial reversal came in the second round. Evloev wrapped his arms around Volkanovski's body and dragged him down, only for the champion to roll through the exchange and emerge on top. Volkanovski landed punches from that position before the fighters returned to standing.

A right hand then shook Evloev, and Volkanovski increased his pressure. Further punches opened a cut and forced the challenger backward. A left hand helped send Evloev down, leaving Volkanovski in position to deliver the finishing strikes on the canvas.

The numbers explain why takedowns were not enough

Evloev landed 62 of 88 total strikes, compared with Volkanovski's 61 of 118. The Australian, however, led 56-40 in significant strikes, the statistical category used to track distance strikes and stronger attacks during close wrestling exchanges or on the ground.

Volkanovski landed 48 significant strikes to the head against Evloev's 28. He also accumulated one minute and 44 seconds of control, compared with 46 seconds for the challenger, despite Evloev completing three of seven takedown attempts and Volkanovski completing one of two.

Those figures capture the central contest: Evloev could take the champion down, but Volkanovski's escapes and reversal gave him more time in controlling positions. Once the fight returned to standing, his attacks to the head helped turn a competitive opening into a stoppage before the second round ended.

A ninth title victory and a reason to continue

Volkanovski's victory was his second successful title defence since reclaiming the featherweight championship and his third consecutive win in a championship fight. His latest run followed the loss of his belt to Ilia Topuria in February 2024 and two subsequent title fight victories over Diego Lopes.

The record of nine featherweight title fight wins puts Volkanovski one ahead of Aldo. That total counts victories when a championship was at stake, including winning a belt and defending it. Saturday's result added another successful defence to his second reign.

Volkanovski, the defending champion, praised Evloev after the stoppage and explained why he believed he could end the challenger's unbeaten run.

He's a great fighter, and he was undefeated for a reason. I just said I'm the right guy for that job.

Volkanovski had also promised his wife, Emma, an early finish as a belated anniversary present, hoping to spare her a long, anxious evening beside the cage. Afterward, he left open the possibility of continuing his career, linking that decision to how much damage he takes.

Evloev, fighting for a UFC title for the first time, acknowledged the champion's performance and said he needed to rest and recover from injuries. His response combined disappointment with respect for the opponent who had ended his unbeaten record.

It was a terrible fight. He's a good one. Older, stronger, better, he's truly a legend. I'm grateful for this opportunity to be here. Alex, great champion, I'm happy to be here to share the cage with him.

Yan wins the trilogy with three identical scorecards

Petr Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili 48-47 on all three scorecards, retaining the bantamweight championship in the first defence of his latest reign. Yan improved to 21 wins and five losses, while Dvalishvili fell to 21 wins and six losses.

Dvalishvili applied his familiar wrestling pressure early, forcing Yan to defend repeated attempts to bring him down. Yan gradually found more room for his striking, with a kick to the liver late in the third round helping shift the momentum toward the champion.

Yan's combinations and defence against takedowns became more effective as the contest progressed. The unanimous decision means every judge selected the same winner, although the identical 48-47 totals show how close the contest remained across five rounds.

Yan, the defending bantamweight champion, said patience was part of his approach against Dvalishvili's demanding pace.

I usually take a little bit of time to warm into a fight, but in this one, I knew he was eventually going to gas out, so I needed to take the time for him to lose all of his power and lose the fight.

Yan now leads their series by two wins to one. Dvalishvili won their first meeting in 2023, but Yan took the championship from him at UFC 323 in December 2025 and has now beaten him again.

Kavanagh rebounds as Pico finishes in 74 seconds

Lone'er Kavanagh stopped Ramazan Temirov at 4:28 of the first round, returning to victory after a submission loss to Brandon Royval at UFC 329 in July. The English flyweight improved to 11 wins and two losses professionally and four wins and two losses in the UFC.

Kavanagh hurt Temirov with an uppercut and followed with punches as the Uzbek fighter tried to recover. Further strikes brought the stoppage with 32 seconds left in the round. Temirov suffered his first UFC defeat, falling to three wins and one loss in the promotion.

Kavanagh, who had beaten former champion Brandon Moreno earlier in the year, said he had concentrated on correcting mistakes after his previous defeat. His finish returned him to the winning column as the division received another championship booking: Joshua Van was announced to defend against Manel Kape at UFC 336 in January.

Aaron Pico needed only one minute and 14 seconds to stop Losene Keita in the opening main card bout. Pico dropped Keita and followed with punches on the ground, earning his second consecutive UFC victory and improving his professional record to 15 wins and five losses.

Pico's UFC record now stands at two wins and one loss. After losing his debut to Lerone Murphy in August 2025, he beat Patricio Freire at UFC 327 in April before finishing Keita. Pico expressed interest in another meeting with Murphy.

Volkov presses his case for a heavyweight title fight

Alexander Volkov earned the 41st victory of his professional career by defeating Rizvan Kuniev unanimously over three rounds. Two judges scored the fight 30-27, while the third had it 29-28.

Volkov used his reach, kicks and control of distance to keep Kuniev working at a disadvantage. He also brought the fight to the ground late in the third round and attempted a rear naked choke, a submission applied from behind the opponent.

The victory was Volkov's third in a row and came as he celebrated his 38th birthday. Kuniev's run of two consecutive wins ended, leaving him with two victories and two defeats in the UFC.

Volkov, the heavyweight contender, directed a brief appeal to UFC chief executive Dana White during his interview after the fight.

What should I do to get a title shot?

The heavyweight championship is next scheduled to be contested by Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Volkov's request places him among the contenders seeking a chance after that bout; no title fight booking for him was announced.

Preliminary bouts bring fast finishes and disputed entries

Dominick Reyes was credited with stopping Azamat Murzakanov at 2:40 of the first round after a high kick, a left hand and punches on the ground. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev was credited with stopping Nikita Krylov with a knee at 2:38 of the opening round, extending his unbeaten professional record to 12 victories.

A competing results listing names Murzakanov and Krylov as the winners of those fights. It also names Bolaji Oki as the winner against Daniel Santos, while the detailed fight account and another results list give Santos a unanimous decision by three scores of 29-28.

Abus Magomedov submitted Cam Rowston with a guillotine choke at 1:44 of the first round. The hold attacks the neck from in front of the opponent; Magomedov caught it when Rowston attempted a takedown.

Grant Dawson defeated previously unbeaten Nurullo Aliev by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the lightweight contest 29-27. Referee Marc Goddard deducted a point from Aliev in the first round for illegal strikes to the back of Dawson's head. Dawson then used strikes, takedowns and control on the ground to secure the victory.

Colby Thicknesse handed Asaf Chopurov his first professional loss by split decision, taking two scorecards 29-28 while the third favoured Chopurov by the same margin. Abubakar Vagaev beat Jacob Malkoun unanimously, with all three judges scoring their middleweight contest 29-28.

Kody Steele knocked out Noah Gugnon at 3:54 of the first round. Iasmin Lucindo completed the early preliminary results with a unanimous decision over Nicolle Caliari, winning 30-27 on every scorecard.

The dates connecting Abu Dhabi to the next title fights

UFC 333 closed one championship rivalry while leaving other divisions with contenders seeking their next opponents. Yan's trilogy is complete, Volkanovski has extended his second reign, and Volkov is waiting behind an already scheduled heavyweight championship bout.

The main dates behind those developments are:

• 2023: Merab Dvalishvili defeated Petr Yan in their first meeting.
• February 2024: Volkanovski lost the featherweight championship to Ilia Topuria.
• December 2025: Yan defeated Dvalishvili at UFC 323 to reclaim the bantamweight title.
• October 24, 2026: Volkanovski and Yan retained their championships at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi.
• October 31, 2026: Renato Moicano is scheduled to face Tom Nolan in a UFC Fight Night main event in Las Vegas.
• November 14, 2026: Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit are scheduled to contest the heavyweight championship at UFC 334 in New York.
• January: Joshua Van is scheduled to defend the flyweight championship against Manel Kape at UFC 336.

Key Points

• Volkanovski stopped Evloev at 4:54 of round two, retaining the featherweight belt and ending the challenger's unbeaten record.
• His ninth UFC featherweight title fight victory moved him past Jose Aldo's eight.
• Yan retained the bantamweight title by three scores of 48-47 and won his trilogy with Dvalishvili.
• Kavanagh and Pico earned finishes in the first round; Volkov won unanimously and requested a heavyweight title opportunity.
• Gane and Hokit are scheduled to contest the heavyweight championship on November 14 at Madison Square Garden.