STILL THE GREAT: Volkanovski Stops Evloev, Keeps Title at UFC 333
“He's a great fighter and undefeated for a reason.”
Alexander Volkanovski kept his featherweight title with a second-round stoppage of Movsar Evloev, ending the challenger's unbeaten run in Abu Dhabi.
"He's a great fighter and undefeated for a reason."
Alexander Volkanovski said it after the fight, and he had just proved the second half of that sentence the hard way. He is the fight guy for that job.
Volkanovski beat Movsar Evloev by TKO in the UFC 333 main event on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The finish came at 4:54 of round two. Referee Marc Goddard stepped in as Volkanovski poured on ground-and-pound, and the featherweight title stayed with the champion.
Evloev's Round, Then The Turn
The first round belonged to the challenger on the live scorecards. Sherdog and Sportskeeda both scored it 10-9 for Evloev. He changed levels, scored takedowns, and used those level changes to set up punches.
He could not keep the champion down. Volkanovski sprang back to his feet after the first takedown on the break, and again after the second. The round was close, but the pattern mattered: Evloev was working hard for positions that did not last.
Round two started the same way, then flipped in a hurry. Evloev dragged Volkanovski to the mat again, and this time the champion hit a switch and settled in top position. He went to work from half guard, and the fight never went back to Evloev's terms.
Six Seconds From The Bell
Volkanovski knocked Evloev off balance with an overhand right, then went back to his jab. With the round running down, he rang the bell with a left hook, doubled up on right hands, and landed a brutal combination.
Evloev turned away from contact and retreated to his back. That was the end of the argument. Volkanovski followed with heavy ground-and-pound, battering a bloodied Evloev with an unending burst of right hands until Goddard intervened.
Six seconds remained in the round. Volkanovski did not need them.
A Record Ninth Title Win
The numbers after Saturday are the story of a career, not just a night. Volkanovski moves to 29-4 in MMA. Evloev falls to 20-1, his first loss after starting his career 20-0.
DraftKings Network reports this as Volkanovski's ninth UFC featherweight title win, the most in promotion history. It is also his first knockout win since he beat Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 in July 2023.
Both men made weight on Friday. Volkanovski weighed 144.5, Evloev 145. Volkanovski entered off a unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes at UFC 325. Evloev entered off a majority decision win over Lerone Murphy, still unbeaten, still untested at the very top.
Now he has been tested, and the test ended early.
What Comes Next Is His Call
Volkanovski told the post-fight interview that it feels good to get a finish. He said he had promised his wife a quick one so she was not stressing on the sidelines, and that he knew there was not long left when he found the shot that hurt Evloev.
He also left the door open in his own words. To do what he is choosing to do in this sport, he said, if he does not take much damage, maybe they keep going.
That is the point of Saturday. At 38, after a second-round finish of an unbeaten challenger, Volkanovski took very little damage and walked out with the belt, the record, and the choice.
Both Belts Stay
Earlier on the same card, Petr Yan retained the bantamweight title in the co-main event. Both UFC 333 titles stayed with their champions. The main event, though, was the one that settled the featherweight question: the great is still great, and the unbeaten challenger is unbeaten no more.
