Alexander Volkanovski defeated Movsar Evloev by stoppage in the second round at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi. He became the first opponent to defeat the Russian fighter, securing victory in the final seconds of the second round at the Etihad Arena.
Referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight because the 32-year-old Evloev was unable to defend himself. Volkanovski reached the stoppage after overwhelming his opponent with an overhand right, taking top position and delivering a finishing flurry. Evloev finished the first round with more significant strikes and takedowns, but it was not enough to resist in the remainder of the fight.
With this victory, Volkanovski became the first fighter in the UFC featherweight division with nine title wins, surpassing the record of eight held by Brazil’s José Aldo. It was his second successful defence since reclaiming the vacant belt last April. He lost the title to Ilia Topuria in February 2024, and now, at 38, has confirmed his status as one of the most successful fighters in the division’s history.
Evloev won his first UFC title fight seven years after his debut in the organisation, but failed to retain the belt.
In the other major fight of the night, Petr Yan defeated Georgian Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy to successfully defend his bantamweight title. It was his first appearance since dethroning Dvalishvili last December. Dvalishvili was hit by a precise liver shot in the final minute of the third round. The victory took the 33-year-old Yan to 13 wins in the bantamweight division, leaving him behind only Aljamain Sterling and Chito Vera, who have 14.
Lone’er Kavanagh recorded his first stoppage victory in his UFC career. The 27-year-old Briton returned after a loss to Brandon Royval just over three months earlier and inflicted the first UFC defeat on Uzbekistan’s Ramazan Temirov with a first-round finish. Kavanagh hit his opponent with a clean left hook, then finished him with a powerful right hand. He secured the stoppage with 32 seconds remaining in the first round. Kavanagh is ranked sixth in the flyweight division.
It was also announced that flyweight champion Joshua Van will defend his title against Manel Kape at UFC 336 in January.
