TLDR
- Alexander Volkanovski defends his featherweight title against undefeated Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 on October 24 in Abu Dhabi
- The two fighters trained together years ago when Volkanovski was preparing to face Jose Aldo and Evloev was still at bantamweight
- Evloev is targeting his first UFC finish despite a 20-0 record that includes only decision wins in the octagon
- Evloev wants Volkanovski at his best to avoid critics saying the champion was past his prime
- UFC announces return to Sydney on February 7, 2027 for a Fight Night at Afterpay Arena
Sources: yardbarker.com | mmafighting.com | foxsports.com.au
Alexander Volkanovski will defend his UFC featherweight championship against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 on October 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. But this won’t be the first time the two fighters have faced each other.
Both men revealed during UFC 331 fight week in Los Angeles that they shared rounds together years ago at the same gym. At the time, Volkanovski was preparing for his fight against Jose Aldo, while Evloev was still competing at bantamweight outside the UFC.
“I used to be a bantamweight at that time, it was before UFC,” Evloev told MMA Fighting. “We just had a couple of rounds and yeah, we trained at the same gym before.”
Volkanovski confirmed the training session but said it doesn’t matter now. “I do remember us training, it was a long time ago,” he said. “You can’t go off training sessions then. As he said, he would have been young. All I worry about is how he’s been looking in his last few performances.”
😅Movsar Evloev isn’t angry at UFC fans for rooting for Alexander Volkanovski and says he’d be rooting for Volk too if he wasn’t fighting him:
“I wasn’t expecting much love toward me considering Volk is already so established, such a fan favourite.
Honestly, I’m a fan of his…
— Full Mount MMA (@MMAFullMount) September 25, 2026
Evloev Wants First UFC Finish
The 30-year-old Russian challenger enters the title fight with a perfect 20-0 professional record. His most recent win came in March when he defeated Lerone Murphy by majority decision to earn his title shot.
Evloev has never recorded a finish inside the UFC octagon despite his unblemished record. He told MMA Fighting he wants that to change in the biggest fight of his career.
“This is my first title fight,” Evloev said. “And we’re looking to make it my first finish in the UFC.”
The challenger said he wants Volkanovski at his absolute best to silence critics. Before joining the UFC, Evloev beat champions on the regional circuit but faced dismissive comments about his opponents being past their prime.
“I used to beat champions before joining the UFC,” Evloev explained. “And when I beat them, people used to say, ‘OK, they wasn’t that good like before.’ I don’t want to hear this one again, so I want him to be in his prime, in the best condition, so I can show my skills.”
Champion Promises Best Performance
Volkanovski is now 38 years old and in his second reign as featherweight champion. He reclaimed the belt with back-to-back wins over Diego Lopes after losing to Ilia Topuria in his only defeat at 145 pounds.
The Australian champion said Evloev might regret wishing for the best version of him. “I truly do believe after this fight, people will be saying, ‘That’s one of Alex’s best performances we’ve seen,'” Volkanovski said.
Volkanovski acknowledged there’s no bad blood between the two fighters. “There’s no ill feeling toward each other, he’s a good dude, I’ve got a lot of respect for him,” he said. “But come Oct. 24, we’re going to go handle business and I plan on showing him that I’m the man.”
Evloev is confident about where the fight will take place. When asked about the matchup, he told reporter Mike Bohn, “I will do anything I want. Whenever I decide to take him down, I will take him down.”
Volkanovski has promised to keep the fight standing. The champion believes the stylistic matchup will bring out a version of himself that fans haven’t seen before.
After the title fight, Evloev joked about visiting Volkanovski for an episode of his cooking show. “My dream is that after we fight, I go visit him and we cook something together,” Evloev told Adam Zubayraev. “Honestly, I’d rather just eat than cook with him.”
The UFC also announced it will return to Sydney for a Fight Night event at Afterpay Arena on February 7, 2027. This will be Sydney’s first UFC Fight Night since 2017, though no fights have been announced yet for the card.
