UFC 333 is shaping up to be one of the most meaningful events of 2026, featuring two fights that could shape their respective divisions. On Saturday, October 24th, Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight strap against undefeated number-one contender Movsar Evloev, while Petr Yan faces Merab Dvalishvili in a highly anticipated trilogy fight. Both fights feature men considered all-time greats and opponents at their best. The stakes are high, as UFC 333 could set the tone for two of the organization’s most important divisions heading into 2027.
The duality of the UFC 333 championship fights is compelling and could send the two divisions in completely different directions. Volkanovski is fighting to preserve himself as not just a champion, but a legacy as the greatest featherweight champion of all time. Meanwhile, Yan wants to settle the score with the “Machine” Dvalishvili and put this rivalry to bed. These fights aren’t thrown together as title fights, but carry legitimate historical significance in the MMA landscape.
Volkanovski has shown us for years that he’s not just one of the greatest featherweights of all time, but a great fighter overall. The Australian champion has defeated a who’s who of the division’s deadliest fighters, including Diego Lopez twice, Yair Rodriguez, Max Holloway twice, and Chan Sung Jung, to name a few. Volkanovski’s fighting style combines elite striking intelligence, excellent conditioning, and excellent defensive wrestling. At thirty-eight years of age, however, the question is how much left he has in the tank. As it is commonly stated, Father Time is undefeated.
Volkanovski has had an incredible career full of chapters that could fill a book. His trilogy with Holloway showed just how talented he is, and his attempt at the lightweight belt on two separate occasions showed that he’s willing to test himself against the most difficult of challenges. Holloway’s knockout loss to Illia Topuria, however, had many people questioning if his championship days could be behind him. Holloway proved the doubters wrong and reclaimed his belt by defeating Lopez. Volkanovski is a true inspiration and showed that championship experience might just be his greatest weapon.
Standing opposite Volkanovski in the octagon will be the frightening force that is Movsar Evloev. The Russian contender has compiled an unbelievable record of twenty wins with zero losses. His style isn’t what casual fans would call friendly. He uses a pressure, grappling-heavy style of fighting. He has earned his title shot every bit of the way with standout performances against Arnold Allen, Aljamain Sterling, Lerone Murphy, and the aforementioned Lopez. Evloev may not be the flashiest of fighters, but he is gritty and highly effective.
Volkanovski/Evloev is fascinating to me because it pits two fighters against each other who are excellent at dictating where the fight takes place. As Joe Rogan once put it, “Martial arts is human chess. It’s high-level problem solving with dire physical consequences.” For me, I see it as the type of fight where one simple mistake could be costly and heavily affect the outcome. If you are looking for a slugfest of a matchup, then look elsewhere. I see this as a technical masterpiece.
The co-main event at UFC 333 features another championship matchup with historical implications, but this time at bantamweight. The champion Yan will get the chance to defend his belt against Dvalishvili in the third installment of their rivalry. What makes this matchup so intriguing is that Dvalishvili dominated their first matchup in 2023 to the tune of eleven takedowns. Yan got payback in 2025, showing improved takedown defense paired with high-volume striking. Come Saturday, October 24th, they can settle the score once and for all.
They say that styles make fights, and that’s what we have with Yan/Dvalishvili. Yan is widely regarded as one of the best boxers in all of the UFC. My friends and I used to call him “Computer Yan” as he excels at reading his opponents and making adjustments. He uses distance really effectively and delivers a variety of lethal combinations.
Dvalishvili, on the other hand, operates like his nickname suggests: “The Machine”. The wrestling abilities that he pairs with relentless cardio make it seem like he has an endless supply of batteries. Their two previous matchups demonstrate how things can change from one fight to the next. It’ll be about who shows up on that night and the approach that they choose to employ.
I think it’s fair to expect a highly competitive third fight. This is usually the case when you have two fighters who know each other very well. Also, seeing as how this is a battle in a lightweight class, this fight could easily go all five rounds. Not just that, but we could be in for a scorecard that could be controversial. I’m no Nostradamus, but with a matchup like this and the judges that the commission rolls out, it’s very possible. No matter the outcome, this could ultimately close a chapter on their rivalry and could open a new book where new faces emerge in the bantamweight division.
Beyond the two title fights at the top of the UFC 333 card, some matchups feature hopeful contenders. Alexander Volkov faces Rizvan Kuniev in a heavyweight clash with major stakes for a division desperate for excitement. A couple of feisty and exciting flyweights by the names of Lone’er Kavanagh and Ramazan Temirov will do battle to see who the true emerging talent is. The once-perceived top prospect, Aaron Pico, will clash with Losene Keita. Both fighters have great finishing ability. Rightfully so, the title fights will attract most of the attention. The above-mentioned supporting fights, though, are good matchups with some decent stakes attached and could very well steal the show come fight night.
The Pico/Keita fight has some relevance to the main event, as the two featherweights would like to hold their spot in a division with a long line of contenders. Pico is currently ranked fourteenth in the media rankings, and a loss here could potentially eliminate any aspirations of ever fighting for a title. A win for Keita would be the biggest of his career and could put him in the rankings and skyrocket his career.
As far as the notable heavyweight matchup goes, Volkov has no choice but to win the fight. He’s been knocking on the door of a title shot for some time now. The UFC would love to open that door, as a six-foot-seven Russian heavyweight champion could be quite lucrative to the company. He just needs to provide a reason.
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UFC 333 has a real chance at being one of the most significantly important fight cards of the year. Volkanovski(you might know him as Joe from Street Fighter) versus Evloev provides a stylistically intriguing matchup between an all-time great champion and a hungry and undefeated challenger. Yan versus Dvalishvili gives you a conclusion to a trilogy that rivals that of any great film franchise. While the rest of the card is solid, it’s these two matchups that offer fights whose results will be etched in the MMA history books forever. The UFC may only roll out the bare minimum in regards to marketing, but these fights sell themselves.
I think when we look back at UFC 333, we will remember this as the night that two important UFC divisions moved into new directions. Either Evloev will taste defeat for the first time, or he will dethrone one of the all-time greats of mixed martial arts. Yan could legitimize his second championship run. Dvalishvili might reclaim his belt through relentless pressure that had him go on that amazing run before losing his belt in their second matchup. Regardless of who wins these fights, we have a waiting line of contenders for both divisions, so there shouldn’t be any rematches. Come Saturday, October 24th, four fighters will enter the octagon in Abu Dhabi in search of championship glory, but only two will leave with belts.
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