Movsar Evloev said on September 29, 2026 that he intends to earn his first stoppage win in the UFC when he challenges Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title. The fight headlines UFC 333 on Saturday, October 24, 2026 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
What Movsar Evloev said
Speaking to Sherdog, the Russian summed up his goal: “This is my first title fight. And we’re looking to make it my first finish in the UFC.” He added that he wants Volkanovski “in his prime, in the best condition, so I can show my skills.”
The remark answers a criticism that has followed him for years. Some observers argue that several of his opponents were past their best or poorly prepared when they faced him. By asking for a champion at full strength, Evloev wants to remove that argument before fight night.
Ten UFC wins, ten decisions
According to Wikipedia, Evloev, born February 11, 1994, holds a professional record of 20 wins and no losses: 3 by knockout, 4 by submission and 13 by decision. In the UFC he is 10-0, with every win going to the judges, starting with his debut against Seung Woo Choi on April 20, 2019 in Saint Petersburg.
Two of those decisions were not unanimous. His win over Nik Lentz at UFC 257 on January 24, 2021 came by split decision, and his last fight, against Lerone Murphy in London on March 21, 2026, ended in a majority decision after Murphy lost a point in round four for a groin strike. In between, Evloev beat Arnold Allen at UFC 297 in January 2024 and Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310 in December 2024.
Abu Dhabi is familiar ground: he has already fought there twice, against Mike Grundy in July 2020 and Nik Lentz in January 2021.
Alexander Volkanovski turns 38 today
The Australian champion was born on September 29, 1988 and holds a 28-4 professional record. He first won the featherweight belt against Max Holloway at UFC 245 on December 14, 2019 and defended it five times, against Holloway twice, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung and Yair Rodriguez.
That reign ended with a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 on February 17, 2024, four months after he was also knocked out by Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. Volkanovski regained the vacant title by beating Diego Lopes at UFC 314 on April 12, 2025, then retained it against Lopes by unanimous decision at UFC 325 on February 1, 2026. See the current division on our UFC rankings page.
On the official event page, the UFC lists Volkanovski at -115 and Evloev at -105, a line that points to a very close fight.
The UFC 333 card and start times
The co-main event is a bantamweight title fight between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili, the third meeting between the two. The main card announced by the UFC also features Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov at flyweight, Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev at heavyweight and Arnold Allen vs. Aaron Pico at featherweight.
The main card starts at 2 p.m. ET, with prelims at noon ET and early prelims at 10 a.m. ET. Every date of the season is in our 2026 UFC schedule, and results will be posted on our UFC results page after the event.
