Alexander Volkanovski stopped previously unbeaten Movsar Evloev in the second round on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, becoming the sole record holder for most UFC featherweight title fight wins. In the co-main event, Petr Yan retained his bantamweight belt over Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision, closing out their trilogy 2-1.
Volkanovski Stops Evloev in Round Two
The UFC returned to Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on Saturday for its 333rd numbered event, the promotion’s latest card in the United Arab Emirates. In the main event, Australian featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski faced Movsar Evloev, unbeaten in his professional career and regarded as his toughest title challenger in years. The fight turned in the second round when Volkanovski landed a right hook that dropped Evloev, then followed up with an uppercut and a series of punches. Referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight at the 4:54 mark of round two, handing Evloev the first loss of his professional career. The TKO win earned Volkanovski a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus, shared with flyweight Lone’er Kavanagh.
A Record That Passes Jose Aldo
Volkanovski entered the fight with eight UFC featherweight title fight wins, tied with Jose Aldo for the most in division history. The win over Evloev moves him to nine, making him the sole record holder in the category. The UFC has not yet named Volkanovski’s next challenger, and the featherweight division now has to sort out where it goes from here after Evloev’s first professional loss. Track how the featherweight picture shifts on our UFC rankings page.
Yan and Dvalishvili Close Out Their Trilogy
The co-main event was the third meeting between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title. All three judges scored it 48-47 for Yan after five rounds. Dvalishvili won the first two rounds on every scorecard before Yan took over in round four behind a body kick that shifted the fight’s momentum. The win closes out the trilogy 2-1 in Yan’s favor. Both fighters earned $100,000 Fight of the Night bonuses for a back-and-forth five-round battle that lived up to its trilogy billing.
The Rest of the Abu Dhabi Card
American prospect Aaron Pico and light heavyweight veteran Dominick Reyes were among the night’s quickest finishers on a card that also saw five fighters collect $25,000 bonuses for their stoppages. On the main card, Lone’er Kavanagh finished Ramazan Temirov in the first round at 4:28 of the flyweight bout. Alexander Volkov won a decision over Rizvan Kuniev at heavyweight, 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 on the three scorecards. At featherweight, Aaron Pico, who took the fight on short notice after a late opponent change, needed just 74 seconds to finish Losene Keita.
On the preliminary card, Dominick Reyes stopped Azamat Murzakanov in the first round with a head kick and follow-up punches, Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev finished Nikita Krylov with a knee, and Abus Magomedov submitted Cam Rowston with a guillotine choke, all inside the opening round. Grant Dawson beat Nurullo Aliev by unanimous decision, 30-27 across the board. Colby Thicknesse edged Asaf Chopurov by split decision, 29-28, 29-28, 28-29, Abubakar Vagaev and Daniel Santos both won by unanimous decision, 29-28 across the board, and Kody Steele closed out his bout with a first-round knockout. Nicolle Caliari, fined for missing weight the day before, lost a decision to Iasmin Lucindo in a 120.5-pound catchweight bout. The promotion also handed out $25,000 bonuses for finishes to Aaron Pico, Dominick Reyes, Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, Abus Magomedov and Kody Steele. Full results are available on our UFC results page.
Next Challenges Already Taking Shape
After the event, bantamweight contender Song Yadong called for a title shot, saying he could finish both Yan and Dvalishvili. Yadong enters the conversation off a knockout upset of Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Shanghai, a result that had put him in line for a title opportunity of his own. Before the fight, Dvalishvili had said that if he lost to Yan, he would look at Sean O’Malley next, citing their shared history. O’Malley, who has beaten Yan before, also called for a rematch after UFC 333. Neither fight is confirmed yet, and the UFC has given no timeline for when either champion returns to the Octagon. See what else is on the schedule on our UFC schedule page.
