Two champions walked into Abu Dhabi on Saturday. By Sunday morning, both had left with their title belts still wrapped firmly around their waists.
Alexander Volkanovski cemented his place as the greatest featherweight in history with a TKO victory over Movsar Evloev at UFC 333, while Petr Yan retained his bantamweight belt with a unanimous decision over Merab Dvalishvili.
Volkanovski had promised his wife he would not make her suffer on the sidelines at Etihad Arena, and the Australian was as good as his word with a second-round stoppage of Evloev.
“It feels good to get a finish. I actually promised the missus – it was our wedding anniversary on Wednesday – I promised her a quick one so she wasn't stressing on the sidelines, so there you go.”
Evloev looked way out of his league as he suffered the first defeat of his 21-fight career. Volkanovski looked better than ever.
“He’s a great fighter. He was undefeated for a reason, but I just said I’m the right guy for that job,” Volkanovski said.
Evloev conceded it was a “terrible fight” but that he was grateful to have shared a cage with the champion.
“He’s a good one. Older, stronger, better, he’s truly a legend. I’m grateful for this opportunity to be here. Alex … great champion.”
It was billed as striker against grappler. Volkanovski had encouraged Evloev to stick to his wrestling, saying no one could take him down, let alone keep him there. The Russian put that to the test three times in the opening round. The champion was up to the task every time.
Evloev went to the well again in the second. Volkanovski showed the cunning of a fox in reversing it, proving he is no slouch on the ground either.
It didn’t take long for Volkanovski to find his rhythm on his feet. He sliced Evloev open with a sledgehammer left hand that dropped the Russian. Volkanovski smelt blood, and after some vicious ground-and-pound that rendered Evloev helpless, the fight was waved off.
“I knew the ref would have to stop it when he covered up like that,” Volkanovski said, adding that he had no plans to retire after extending his record to 29 wins against four losses.
“I’m choosing to do this. I said if I didn’t take too much damage, we probably keep going, so maybe we keep going.”
Victory meant Volkanovski, 38, surpassed the great Jose Aldo for the most title wins in the featherweight division, with nine.
“I don't really care about this,” he said, pointing to his belt, one that he has now defended six times across his two title reigns. “I really don't.
“I just care about overcoming challenges. A guy that was undefeated in front of me, to overcome that and beat him, and again, getting through camps, means so much more to me.”
The question now turns to who is next. Volkanovski says he has no plans to retire while also suggesting he could step up a division to fight lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, with the loser calling time on their career.
Jean Silva or the winner of the bout between Aljamian Sterling and Kevin Vallejos is also a potential opponent at 145 pounds.
“I guess we've just got to weigh the options. I’m in a pretty good position when you’ve got the president [Dana White] saying that you could pretty much do whatever you want.”
Yan and Dvalishvili's epic third fight
If the main event was a mismatch, the co-main event was an epic.
Yan-Dvalishvili 3 lived up to its billing, with two of the greatest bantamweights delivering a fight for the ages.
The head-to-head record read one win apiece, with the previous encounter seeing Yan dethrone Dvalishvili as bantamweight champion.
The Russian took his time to get going, forced to fend off the relentless Georgian’s takedown attempts for the first two rounds.
When he did let his hands go midway through the third round, they found their mark. Dvalishvili was slowed by punishing combinations and body shots that took the wind out of his sails.
All three judges gave it to Yan, much to the delight of the crowd, who clearly backed the Russian.
“I’m really happy about the way the fight went, about getting the victory, about being able to do it in front of all of these fans that came out to support me,” Yan said. “It's an incredible feeling. I feel great.”
Dvalishvili’s game plan was clear from the outset: to continually shoot at the champion.
He scored a few towards the end of the first round, with Yan unable to set himself or fire anything in return.
The second round followed much the same pattern, with Dvalishvili shooting at every opportunity.
He took Yan down several times, although the champion was quickly back to his feet.
Dvalishvili began the third energetically, but was left wincing from a punishing kick to the liver.
It was a tactic that served Yan well in their second fight in December. Dvalishvili backed off and attempted to shake it off, but it gave Yan confidence, and his punches started to find their target more frequently.
Round four saw the pendulum swing in Yan’s favour. Dvalishvili’s takedown attempts lacked conviction, with Yan easily able to fend them off. His striking accuracy proved decisive, with his left hand, in particular, finding the mark at will.
Yan closed out the fight strongly, landing pummeling combinations punctuated by one flying knee that busted open Dvalishvili's forehead.
On weathering Dvalishvili’s early storm, Yan said: “Diamonds are made under extreme pressure. I could have just given up, but I had to go through it. This is what I do.”
For Dvalishvili, it was a second successive defeat to Yan. “The Machine” never stopped coming forward but again had no answer to the champion’s superior striking.
“I can do better,” he said. “Congratulations to Petr Yan. He beat me today; he’s the better man. Congratulations to him.”
