Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev, Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili trilogy bout set for UFC 333

The UFC announced the headlining matchups for UFC 333 during the UFC 330 broadcast on Saturday, setting the stage for a pair of elite-level championship bouts at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 24.

Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight title against undefeated Movsar Evloev in the main event. Volkanovski (28-4) seeks his second successful defense of his second reign at 145 pounds, while Evloev brings a perfect 20-0 professional record into his long-awaited title opportunity. The pair rank at No. 5 and No. 19 respectively on the MMA Fighting Pound-for-Pound chart.

In the co-main event, Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili will settle their rivalry in a trilogy bout. Yan (20-5) delivered what many consider the best performance of 2025 when he reclaimed the bantamweight title at UFC 323 by defeating Dvalishvili, snapping the Georgian's 14-fight win streak and avenging an earlier loss. "No Mercy" has now won four straight fights after a three-fight losing skid. Dvalishvili (21-5) successfully defended his belt three times in 2025 before Yan's upset victory, capping a remarkable seven-year unbeaten run that included victories over Jose Aldo, Sean O'Malley, Henry Cejudo, and Umar Nurmagomedov. Yan ranks No. 3 pound-for-pound, with Dvalishvili at No. 8.

Additional main card bouts include Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov, Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev, and Arnold Allen vs. Aaron Pico. Preliminary action features Dominick Reyes vs. Azamat Murzakanov, Abus Magomedov vs. Cam Rowston, Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, and Grant Dawson vs. Nurullo Aliev.