VOLK HAS DONE IT HE REMAINS THE
FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMP [ #UFC333 | LIVE on @paramountplus ] https://t.co/21n4C8tSTL— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
October 24, 2026
Reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander
Volkanovski lived up to his nickname: “The Great.”
Volkanovski defended his 145-pound title by stopping previously
unbeaten Movsar
Evloev in the main event of UFC 333 on Saturday at Etihad Arena
on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Volkanovski
(29-4) staggered his challenger with punches during an exchange
near the fence and immediately pressed his advantage.
Petr Yan beats Merab Dvalishvili in UFC 333 trilogy as both
champions retain titles
Volkanovski swarmed Evloev (20-1) with punches, continuing his
attack as the Russian dropped to his hands and knees. Referee
Marc
Goddard intervened at 4:54 of the second round.
The highly anticipated rubber match between Petr Yan and
Merab
Dvalishvili delivered five compelling rounds, with Yan
retaining his bantamweight title by unanimous decision.
Dvalishvili (21-6) attacked from the opening seconds, scoring
multiple takedowns and keeping the champion under pressure.
However, he struggled to hold Yan down. As the fight progressed,
“No Mercy” began stuffing takedowns and landing punches and kicks
to the head and body.
A liver kick hurt Dvalishvili in the third, and Yan (21-5)
increasingly found opportunities to attack as the challenger
slowed. Both men pushed hard in the final round, but Yan’s takedown
defense and crisp striking helped secure the victory. All three
judges scored the fight 48-47 for the champion.
Lone’er
Kavanagh battered Ramazonbek
Temirov en route to a first-round stoppage. Kavanagh (11-2)
landed a counter left uppercut during an exchange, sending the
Uzbek fighter stumbling backward. The Englishman pursued him with
punches to the head and body until Temirov (20-4) collapsed, ending
the flyweight bout at 4:28.
Russian heavyweight contender Alexander
Volkov strengthened his case for a title shot with a unanimous
decision over Rizvan
Kuniev. “Drago” used his reach to attack Kuniev (14-4-1, 1 NC)
from the outside, targeting his legs, body and head throughout the
three-round contest. Volkov improved to 41-11 with scores of 30-27,
30-27 and 29-28.
Featherweight contender Aaron Pico
stopped Losene
Keita in just 74 seconds. Pico (15-5) staggered “Black Panther”
with a right cross behind a left jab. When Keita (17-3) stumbled to
the canvas, Pico followed with short punches to prompt the
stoppage.
Former light heavyweight title challenger Dominick
Reyes continued his resurgence with a first-round stoppage of
Azamat
Murzakanov. Reyes (17-5) maintained his distance with leg kicks
before landing a head kick and a straight left that dropped
Murzakanov (16-2). Follow-up punches brought referee Mike Beltran’s
intervention at 2:40.
Unbeaten light heavyweight prospect Abdul-Rakhman
Yakhyaev made another statement by finishing veteran Nikita
Krylov in the first round. After an unsuccessful choke attempt,
Yakhyaev (11-0) landed a knee to the side of Krylov’s head against
the cage. Krylov (31-13) went limp, and follow-up punches prompted
referee Jason Herzog to intervene at 2:38.
Abus
Magomedov made quick work of fellow middleweight Cam Rowston.
Magomedov secured a guillotine during Rowston’s takedown attempt
and maintained the choke through his opponent’s efforts to escape.
Rowston (15-4) lost consciousness, giving Magomedov (30-7-1) the
technical submission victory at 1:44 of the first round.
Grant
Dawson handed Nurullo
Aliev his first defeat, winning a unanimous decision in their
lightweight contest. Aliev lost a point in the opening round for
repeated blows to the back of the head, while Dawson’s striking and
ground work carried him through the remaining two frames. All three
judges scored it 29-27 for Dawson (25-3-1), while Aliev fell to
12-1.
Colby
Thicknesse overcame the odds to defeat Asaf
Chopurov by split decision in their bantamweight matchup.
Chopurov (11-1) scored multiple takedowns, but Thicknesse answered
with impactful strikes. One judge favored Chopurov 29-28, while the
other two returned the same score for Thicknesse, who improved to
10-1.
Abubakar
Vagaev edged Australian Jacob
Malkoun by unanimous decision in a closely contested
middleweight bout. Malkoun worked behind a stiff jab, while Vagaev
(26-4) answered with power punches and takedowns. All three judges
scored it 29-28 for Vagaev, dropping Malkoun to 10-4.
Brazil’s Daniel
Santos (15-3) prevailed over Belgian counterpart Bolaji Oki
(10-5) by unanimous decision in a competitive featherweight
contest. All three judges scored the fight 29-28.
Kody
Steele improved to 9-1 with a first-round technical knockout of
fellow lightweight Noah Gugnon
(10-3). Steele dropped the Frenchman with punches and followed him
to the canvas before referee Saman Amidi intervened at 3:54.
Iasmin
Lucindo (19-6) dominated Nicolle
Caliari (9-5) over three rounds to open the card, winning 30-27
on all three scorecards. Their scheduled strawweight bout proceeded
at a catchweight after Caliari missed weight.