Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev face off for the first time at UFC 333 press conference

Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev shared a respectful first faceoff at the UFC 333 press conference in Los Angeles on Friday, ahead of their featherweight title clash on October 24 in Abu Dhabi. Volkanovski, defending his reclaimed 145-pound belt for the second time, faces the undefeated Evloev in the main event. Both fighters, who briefly trained together years ago, maintained composure throughout the presser and exchanged a handshake at their faceoff before gesturing to the crowd.

The respect between the two contrasted with the co-main event faceoff between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili, who will contest the bantamweight title in a trilogy bout. Dvalishvili holds a 2023 decision win over Yan, but Yan reclaimed the 135-pound belt with a December victory. Their faceoff carried noticeably more intensity given their history, though no physical altercation occurred. The trilogy will settle their heated rivalry at UFC 333.