UFC 333 preview: Can anyone keep Volkanovski down? Evloev gets his chance, and Yan-Dvalishvili 3 decides the bantamweight belt

The main event pits the most accomplished featherweight of his era against the division’s best wrestler, and the betting market cannot separate them: the major US sportsbooks have Volkanovski and Evloev at essentially even money. Volkanovski, 28-4, is making the second defence of the title he reclaimed by beating Diego Lopes for the vacant belt at UFC 314 in April 2025, before beating Lopes again in Sydney in January. A win would give him the most title-fight victories in UFC featherweight history. Evloev, 20-0 and 10-0 in the UFC, has built his entire run on control rather than finishes, with none of his 10 UFC wins coming by stoppage and 49 takedowns landed along the way, 22 of them against the contenders he beat to earn this shot. Volkanovski spent media day crediting that wrestling as the best in the division and insisting it still would not be enough. The fight comes down to the first exchanges: whether Evloev can keep the champion on the mat, or whether Volkanovski can get back up and turn it into a striking fight.

The co-main event completes a rivalry that has already swung once. Dvalishvili beat Yan by a lopsided decision in March 2023, and Yan took the belt back by unanimous decision at UFC 323 last December, stuffing 27 of Dvalishvili’s 29 takedown attempts in the process, according to fight-night statistics. Yan enters as the favourite, around -161 at DraftKings, and Dvalishvili has spent fight week promising tools he has never shown, from more attacks to the body to more variety in his entries. Song Yadong, who knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in Shanghai, is waiting for the winner.

The rest of the main card carries clear rankings stakes. At flyweight, No. 6 Lone’er Kavanagh meets No. 10 Ramazan Temirov in one of the closest lines on the card. At heavyweight, No. 2 Alexander Volkov faces No. 7 Rizvan Kuniev in a division still reorganising after Tom Aspinall vacated the title. And at featherweight, Aaron Pico meets Losene Keita, a result that will be watched closely by a division whose champion fights later the same night. The prelims are headlined by Dominick Reyes against Azamat Murzakanov at light heavyweight, with Nikita Krylov against Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev, Abus Magomedov against Cam Rowston and Grant Dawson against Nurullo Aliev also on the card.

It is the UFC’s 24th visit to Abu Dhabi and the first numbered event there since UFC 321 last October. By Saturday evening in the United States, two divisions will know whether their champions held or a new era has begun.