UFC 333 will see two title fights take place at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena.
We take a look at the championship bouts and assess where they will be won and lost.
Volkanovski v Evloev
Alexander Volkanovski makes his Abu Dhabi return on October 24, once again looking like his best self.
His last visit to the UAE capital three years ago was memorable for the wrong reasons.
He took an ill-advised rematch with Islam Makhachev, stepping in at 11 days' notice to face the then-UFC lightweight champion.
Volkanovski had literally been on the beach, lapping up the Sydney sun, when he got the call from the UFC asking if he would step in for the injured Charles Oliveira at UFC 294.
The outcome was entirely predictable, with Makhachev finding the Australian’s dome with a well-placed head kick. A flurry of punches to the stricken Volkanovski ended the contest a little over three minutes into Round 1.
Four months later, Ilia Topuria found Volkanovski’s chin with a crunching right hook, followed it up with a barrage of punches, and ended the Australian’s reign as featherweight champion.
Many had written him off, believing two brutal knockouts on top of an all-action career would only diminish Volkanovski’s durability and mental acuity.
This time though, Volkanovski listened to his body and took the time to rest and recover. The 14 months off were well spent. A reset saw him return to the octagon with two flawless performances against Diego Lopes.
The first saw him reclaim the featherweight title, vacated by Topuria as he moved up a division. The second saw him defend it.
Both fights went the five-round distance. Over 50 minutes, Volkanovski displayed his mastery of distance, his ability to engage, unload, and move out of danger. It was the type of boxing that belonged in the squared circle even more so than the octagon.
His next opponent will pose a different set of problems.
Movsar Evloev earned his shot at gold with a contentious win over Lerone Murphy in March.
The Russian has been on a tear since signing for the UFC in 2019, winning all nine bouts with the world’s lead MMA promotion to hold a perfect 20-0 record.
That run has been built on a wrestling foundation that is the equal of any the sport has to offer. When Evloev gets his hands wrapped around you, prying him off is a thankless task.
It seemed bizarre then that he opted to stand and trade with Murphy, a superior striker by orders of magnitude.
To the untrained eye, Evloev's bouts can feel boring. Perhaps he felt he needed to catch the matchmakers' attention.
It was a calculated risk, and one that very nearly cost him. Murphy had the better of the exchanges in the early rounds.
When Evloev was deducted a point for an illegal groin strike in Round 4, he switched back to his bread and butter, clamping his hands on Murphy to ragdoll him around London’s O2 Arena.
Two judges scored it in Evloev’s favour; the third scored it a draw. Heads were scratched at how two of them arrived at 48-46 for the Russian.
You can argue that Evloev nicked a win, but few can deny that his body of work has earned him a title shot.
“I’m a pretty easy champion to understand. If you deserve it and you’re the guy, that’s who I want to fight," Volkanovski said. "He deserved the title fight. I believed probably for a little while now. I’m glad he’s got it. Now we get to do our thing October 24th.”
Evloev is expected to have his way on the ground, but Volkanovski has vowed to keep the fight on the feet, making it clear to Evloev that it will be he who dictates the rules of engagement.
“He says, ‘I’ll take him down 10 times or 20 times, I’ll just keep taking him down,’ but trust me, your arms are gonna be burning. I’m gonna be in your face forcing you; you will panic punch, that’s not gonna work, then you’re gonna be forced to fight a fight you don’t wanna do and that’s just when I’m gonna take over,” said Volkanovski.
If that’s how it plays out, expect ‘The Great’ to systematically break Evloev’s will and spirit. Evloev knows the challenge he faces is a colossal one. He described Volkanovski as "a legend" and knows all about the Australian, having previously trained alongside him.
“I’m more than ready for this moment ... I’m fighting the most important fight in my life, and I’m going to prove I’m not just here. I’m going to beat this guy, take the belt, and everybody there will know,” said Evloev.
Yan v Dvalishvili
Another fighter familiar with these shores is Petr Yan, who will step into the octagon proudly wearing the UFC bantamweight strap.
Four times the Russian has fought in Abu Dhabi (three wins, one defeat), but the challenge in front of him this time is by far the most daunting and yet comfortably familiar.
Yan (20-5) caused one of the biggest upsets of 2025 when he dethroned champion Merab Dvalishvili in the last numbered UFC event of the year.
Yan had vowed to be better than in his first meeting with Dvalishvili two years earlier, and the Russian was as good his word. Consummate boxing, outstanding takedown defence and devastating body shots saw him take a unanimous decision.
Striking has always been Yan's forte, and he served up a masterclass against the relentless Dvalishvili. On more than one occasion, you could hear Dvalishvili wince in pain as Yan ripped to the body, landing on the jackpot at will. In Las Vegas, Petr was perfect.
Reflecting on their previous encounters, Yan said: “I re-watched our first fight. I literally had one hand. I fought him with one hand. He could not finish me. He couldn’t do anything to me. Then I watched the second fight. I obviously was much better. I expect that the third time is going to be similar to that. I’m going to be ready to go till the very end in the third fight.”
The sight of Dvalishvili so battered and clueless as to how to penetrate Yan's defence did not undo all his other good work of 2025, but also kind of did.
The Georgian had started the year with a gutsy win over Umar Nurmagomedov before tapping out former champ Sean O'Malley in their rematch.
Cory Sandhagen was dominated in October – a fight in which the Georgian grappler surpassed Georges St-Pierre's record for most takedowns in UFC history and most successful bantamweight title defences (three).
The fight with Yan came only two months after Sandhagen, and Dvalishvili has admitted it was a mistake to take the fight so soon. Known for his cardio, 'The Machine' broke down.
Commenting on his defeat to Yan in their second meeting, Dvalishvili said: “Yes, he made me humble. I think I was too much relaxed in my last fight. I’m training really hard and smart, and I think I’m going to win and we will have a new champion, but I have a big challenge.
“He’s the champion. He beat me last time. He’s the most dangerous guy in my weight class right now.”
Neither has fought since that Las Vegas showdown 10 months ago, so the least we should expect is for Dvalishvili to be well-rested and ready to go full throttle.
The Georgian thrives in the championship rounds and believes he is the better fighter. With a full camp behind him and a full gas tank, he is difficult to live with.
Yan will again be content to let his hands do the talking. If he can avoid or limit Dvalishvili's multiple takedown attempts, then expect Bruce Buffer to proclaim the Russian "And still ..." UFC bantamweight champion when the lights go out on this trilogy for the ages.
