UFC 333

UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev
The poster for UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev
PromotionUltimate Fighting Championship
DateOctober 24, 2026 (2026-10-24)
VenueEtihad Arena
CityAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
AttendanceNot announced
Event chronology
UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Nolan

UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 24, 2026, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Background

The event marked the promotion's 24th visit to Abu Dhabi and its first since UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov in July 2026. It was also the eleventh numbered event held in the city, following UFC 321 in 12th October 2025.

A UFC Featherweight Championship bout between reigning two-time champion Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated contender Movsar Evloev headlined the event.

A UFC Bantamweight Championship trilogy bout between reigning two-time champion Petr Yan and former champion Merab Dvalishvili took place as the co-main event. The pair first met in March 2023 at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili, where Dvalishvili defeated Yan via unanimous decision. Their second meeting took place in December 2025 at UFC 323, where Yan defeated Dvalishvili to reclaim the bantamweight title, ending the latter's 14-fight winning streak at the time.

A featherweight bout between Arnold Allen and Aaron Pico was scheduled for the event. However, Allen withdrew due to an injury and was replaced by Losene Keita.

At the weigh-ins, Nicolle Caliari weighed in at 120.5 pounds, four and a half pounds over the women's strawweight non-title fight limit. Her bout proceeded at catchweight and she was fined 30 percent of her purse, which went to her opponent Iasmin Lucindo.

Results

Main card (Paramount+)
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Featherweight Alexander Volkanovski (c) def. Movsar Evloev TKO (punches) 2 4:54
Bantamweight Petr Yan (c) def. Merab Dvalishvili Decision (unanimous) (48–47, 48–47, 48–47) 5 5:00
Flyweight Lone'er Kavanagh def. Ramazan Temirov TKO (punches) 1 4:28
Heavyweight Alexander Volkov def. Rizvan Kuniev Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 30–27, 30–27) 3 5:00
Featherweight Aaron Pico def. Losene Keita TKO (punches) 1 1:14
Preliminary card (Paramount+)
Light Heavyweight Dominick Reyes def. Azamat Murzakanov TKO (head kick and punches) 1 2:40
Light Heavyweight Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Nikita Krylov TKO (knee and punches) 1 2:38
Middleweight Abusupiyan Magomedov def. Cameron Rowston Technical Submission (guillotine choke) 1 1:44
Lightweight Grant Dawson def. Nurullo Aliev Decision (unanimous) (29–27, 29–27, 29–27) 3 5:00
Early preliminary card (Paramount+)
Bantamweight Colby Thicknesse def. Asaf Chopurov Decision (split) (28–29, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Middleweight Abubakar Vagaev def. Jacob Malkoun Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Featherweight Daniel Santos def. Bolaji Oki Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Lightweight Kody Steele def. Noah Gugnon KO (punches) 1 3:54
Catchweight (120.5 lb) Iasmin Lucindo def. Nicolle Caliari Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) 3 5:00
  1. ↑ For the UFC Featherweight Championship.
  2. ↑ For the UFC Bantamweight Championship.
  3. ↑ Aliev was deducted one point in round 1 due to illegal strikes to the back of the head.

Bonus awards

The following fighters received bonuses: $100,000. The other finishes received $25,000 additional bonuses.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mike Bohn (2026-10-25). "UFC 333 post-event facts: History made in both championship fights". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2026-10-26.
  2. 1 2 Staff (2026-07-25). "UFC returning to Abu Dhabi for UFC 333 in October". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  3. ↑ Farah Hannoun (2026-07-25). "UFC announces return to Abu Dhabi for UFC 333 on Oct. 24". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  4. ↑ Anastasiia Dudkina (2026-07-25). "Volkanovski vs Evloev title fight set for October 24 at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi". telecomasia.net. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  5. ↑ Jordan Ellis (2026-08-09). "Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan are reportedly set to defend their UFC belts at UFC 333". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
  6. ↑ Jay Anderson (2023-03-11). "UFC Las Vegas: Merab Dvalishvili dominates ex-champ Petr Yan in standout performance". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
  7. ↑ Jay Anderson (2025-12-07). "UFC 323: Petr Yan Dethrones Merab Dvalishvili in Rematch". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
  8. ↑ Marcel Dorff (2026-08-15). "Two massive title fights headline UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi". heavy.com. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  9. ↑ Nolan King (2026-09-18). "Losene Keita steps into UFC 333 banger vs. Aaron Pico". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  10. ↑ Alexander K. Lee (2026-10-23). "UFC 333 weigh-in results: Championship bouts set, prelim fighter misses weight by almost 5 pounds". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2026-10-23.
  11. ↑ "UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
  12. ↑ Adam Martin (2026-10-24). "UFC 333 bonuses revealed following Abu Dhabi event". heavy.com. Retrieved 2026-10-25.