UFC 333 Delivers Historic Abu Dhabi Title Fights

UFC president Dana White says Abu Dhabi remains a particularly important destination for the organisation as it prepares to stage UFC 333 at Etihad Arena. White, who has visited the emirate regularly for almost two decades, points to the UFC’s relationship with Abu Dhabi, which began in 2009, and to the Fight Island events held there during the Covid-19 pandemic. He says the emirate helped keep the sport visible when many other live events had stopped, and that the UFC’s business grew by about 77 per cent during the pandemic, with fans worldwide watching Abu Dhabi-hosted events. White also praises the destination beyond its fight venues, naming its hotels, restaurants and other attractions. UFC 333 is sold out and features two title fights: Alexander Volkanovski against Movsar Evloev, and the third meeting between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili. At a press conference, White gave tickets to a young Emirati fan who had offered to let him shave his head in return. The article describes Abu Dhabi’s relationship with the UFC as one strengthened by difficult circumstances. The event is the promotion’s second return to the emirate since the Iran war began, following a UFC Fight Night in July. White says the emirate has treated the UFC well and that the organisation reciprocates that support. The story also recalls the disappointment of UFC 321, held in Abu Dhabi a year earlier. Its main event between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest after an unintentional eye poke left Aspinall unable to continue. Although some fans felt the UFC owed Abu Dhabi a more memorable event, White laughed off the suggestion. The supplied article text ends at that point.

Alexander Volkanovski retained the UFC featherweight title at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi with a second-round technical knockout of Movsar Evloev. Volkanovski had promised his wife, Emma, an early finish as a belated anniversary gift. Although elite wrestler Evloev took him down three times in the opening round, Volkanovski got back to his feet each time. In the second, an uppercut and straight left rocked Evloev; Volkanovski followed him to the ground and finished the fight with ground-and-pound. The win gave Volkanovski, 38, a record nine UFC featherweight title victories, moving him past Jose Aldo in the division’s history books. Petr Yan also won a major title bout, defeating Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision to retain the bantamweight championship and settle their trilogy. After spending the first two rounds defending Dvalishvili’s takedown attempts, Yan shifted the contest with a liver kick in the third. He then controlled the exchanges with effective striking and combinations, earning his second victory over Dvalishvili since taking the title from him in December. The report describes the bout as a potential fight of the year. Elsewhere on the main card, English flyweight Lone’er Kavanagh stopped Ramazan Temirov in the first round after a left uppercut and follow-up punches prompted the referee to intervene. Alexander Volkov earned the 41st win of his professional MMA career, beating Rizvan Kuniev by unanimous decision on his 38th birthday. Volkov again asked UFC president Dana White for a title shot, though the article notes that the division’s upcoming fight between champion Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit may affect that possibility. Aaron Pico opened the main card with a first-round stoppage of Losene Keita, combining an early takedown with a right hand and follow-up strikes.

The National’s guide covers UFC 333, scheduled for Saturday, October 24, at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The event is the UFC’s 24th show in Abu Dhabi and its 12th at the arena, with 14 fights on the card. Preliminary bouts are expected to begin at about 6pm UAE time, followed by the main card at around 10pm. The headline bout is a featherweight title defence by Alexander Volkanovski against undefeated Russian contender Movsar Evloev. Volkanovski, whose record is 28 wins and four losses, is in his second spell as champion and is set to make his sixth title defence. He earned the vacant belt with a unanimous-decision win over Diego Lopes in April 2025 and also won their February rematch. Evloev, 20-0 in professional MMA, secured his title opportunity with a contentious decision against Lerone Murphy in March. The co-main event is the third meeting between bantamweight champion Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili. Yan, 20-5, took the title from Dvalishvili in December 2025, after losing their first encounter. Dvalishvili, 21-5, has said he intends to reclaim the belt and end their rivalry. Other featured main-card matchups include short-notice replacement Losene Keita against Aaron Pico, Lone’er Kavanagh versus Ramazan Temirov, and heavyweight Alexander Volkov against Rizvan Kuniev. The preliminary card includes Azamat Murzakanov facing former title challenger Dominick Reyes. The article also lists public activities during fight week: free fan experiences at Yas Mall and Yas Bay Plaza, a public workout on Wednesday, press conferences on Thursday, and public ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.ae, and the event will be broadcast live in the UAE on Starzplay.