Thu, October 22, 2026 at 12:57 PM UTC · 12 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chuck Mindenhall · Petesy Carroll If you like immense technical skill, unheralded prowess, and festering vendettas, UFC 333 might just be your huckleberry. There will be two titles on the line, featuring some of the most technically sound fighters on the UFC's roster. There will also be storylines galore.
In the main event on Saturday from Abu Dhabi, perhaps the greatest featherweight that ever lived, Alexander Volkanovski, goes head-to-head with the dominant (and dangerously unsung) Movsar Evloev , which checks every box of fascination. Can Evloev actually win on the scorecards against a master in-cage conductor like the 38-year-old "Volk," who is trying for his seventh overall title defense?
Can Evloev finish Volkanovski? Or does the old dog humble the Russian challenger?
In the co-main, it's a trilogy fight between one of the most prolific champions of the era (Merab Dvalishvili) and 135 pounds of Georgian kryptonite (current champ, Petr Yan) .
It's time to get right down to it and ask the seven burning questions for UFC 333.
Petesy: I understand the urge to declare Evloev to be Volkanovski's toughest challenge, and maybe I'm showing my age by being so reluctant to do so.
On one hand, I get it. Evloev is 20-0, has an incredibly effective style and, perhaps most importantly, the UFC has appeared to be utterly allergic to putting him in a title fight — a clear mark of greatness (ask Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad).
The problem is, unlike Dana White's maiden year with Zuffa Boxing, we don't have to wait until the end of 2026 to judge "Volk's" body of work — it's already set in stone. He fought Ilia Topuria, Max Holloway, Jose Aldo, and the aforementioned Islam Makhachev — all while they were in their primes.
I'm as big an Evloev fan as the next guy, but I'm pumping the brakes on this one.
Chuck: It's a tribute to Volkanovski that we can breeze past names like Max Holloway and Jose Aldo when entertaining these (admittedly audacious) hypotheticals, but that's because he's made such mincemeat of the legends.
Evloev feels like a major challenge because: A) he's younger, B) he's hungrier in that he's still trying to prove himself, and C) he is a nihilist once they latch the gate, a genuine dealer of black realities. Twenty-five minutes can feel like a Siberian sentence against Evloev, who wrestles at his leisure and has surprisingly quick hands.
I'd say that Topuria is the next toughest challenge that "Volk" has faced, but ... and here you must forgive me Petesy for dismissing Hall of Famers … I'd stick Evloev next at this point in time. I might be the lone U.S.-based Movsar mark, though.
Is Movsar Evloev the man to dethrone Alexander Volkanovski?
Chuck: You know, Petesy, I am leaning toward the latter here for a couple of reasons. For one, Volkanovski doesn't get outfoxed or outworked for very long in a given fight, and in fact, he almost always ends up dictating the dance. Even against an iron-willed Russian, it's hard for me to imagine "Volk" being whittled away through five rounds.
The other thing is: I think Evloev, out of spite, would like to prove he can outlast Volkanovski for 25 minutes, which is a subplot to this featured fight . I think he'd feel extremely uncomfortable if he was presented with a red carpet to Volkanovski's chin, or if he saw a neck sitting there to be snatched.
The one thing I will say is that at 38 years old, you never know when the wheels might come off. I know "Volk" works hard and his fight IQ is unparalleled (poor Diego Lopes found out about that … twice ), but age can become a factor overnight.
Petesy: As a 39-year-old male, I can attest to this. My wheels came off back in 2005, so it's something that "Volk" needs to be aware of.
I agree with you on this one. If Evloev and Volkanovski have something in common, it's the glee they exude while watching another man wilt before them. However, even though it was a successful outing, Evloev showed he can be bent by constant pressure against Lerone Murphy.
Similarly with Merab Dvalishvili in his last outing against Petr Yan (we can circle back to this), Evloev fought Murphy in brass-pleasing fashion, throwing away his monotonous grappling style for something more fan friendly. For me, it would be a terrible idea for him to go away from his A-game against Volkanovski. If he does, I could see "Volk" stopping him. That said, I think a Volkanovski decision is the most likely outcome.
Could UFC 333 be Alexander Volkanovski's last dance?
Petesy: Plainly, no. Why don't I think he will? Well, because he is in the perfect position to do so. The fight game isn't that easy.
I watched "Volk" pitch a retirement fight against Justin Gaethje in the lead-up to this bout. Although it wouldn't make the slightest bit of sense for the UFC to a host a double-retirement bout, as Volkanovksi suggested, it certainly shows his intent to continue.
Even if he loses, I don't think he's the kind of guy who would want to go out on a loss. And let's not forget about the revelations we heard ahead of the short-notice Makhachev rematch.
Unfortunately, I'm pretty confident "Volk," like many, will struggle to call it a day when the time comes.
Chuck: Yeah, Volkanovski's talk around the (crammed) Islam rematch is what makes me think he won't be able to call it a day so easily. If he beats Evloev, we will be talking about this guy as something of a godsend to fighterkind, a 38-year-old former rugby player who somehow strung together one of the greatest résumés in the annals of UFC history.
Just up and leave at a moment like that ? Not bloody likely. You think he doesn't hear Jean Silva barking from the neighbor's yard?
Oh, he hears it all right. And he has a dog biscuit in his back pocket just for the occasion, Petesy.
If "Volk" loses, and loses badly, there's a part of me that thinks he might consider it. I think there's been a switch in mindset with him, and he's tailor-made to segue into coaching for his vicarious competition fix. He also has a level head (not to mention some comedy chops), which makes me think he might be more rational about the right time to walk away than we give him credit for.
Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili are ready for Round 3.
Chuck: See, I am one of those who puts a little asterisk on that second fight for that very reason. We're talking super small, the kind that's barely detectable. I didn't think that Merab put the right emphasis (or concern) on that last fight with Yan, that he showed up somewhat … to use the word that scared Georges St-Pierre so much for all those years … complacent .
In that way, I saw that fight — especially at that time — as somewhat of a distortion of the truth.
Then again, as time has gone on, I think that's the devil sitting on my shoulder. The angel on the other one wants to praise Yan for a masterful performance in that last fight, for confounding and bewitching and ultimately battering Merab for four of the five rounds. As we get nearer to Saturday's trilogy, the more I come around to the idea that Yan may have solved Merab, and he's about to go in there and prove it.
Petesy: I've always been an absolute Yan mark. Having followed him since his early days in ACB, I knew this dude would be a champion. However, when Merab beat him the way he beat him the first time they met, I quickly realized his days atop the mountain had probably come and gone.
Like you, everything changed with the rematch. I don't take anything away from Yan; it was, as you pointed out, a masterclass. I don't even think it was the schedule that got to Merab, I think he changed how he fought in an effort to be more entertaining, which is even worse.
The era we're in, one that prioritizes spectacle over sporting supremacy, sets a terrible precedent. I just hope we get a true representation of both of these guys fighting to the best of their ability.
Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili are tied at one win apiece heading into UFC 333.
Petesy: I think Yan has the edge because he's landed the last blow in the series. He's already overcome an incredibly difficult task by defeating a man who I believe absolutely outclassed him in 2023. By beating Merab last year, he's put Merab in that same spot.
You have to feel like the miles on Merab's clock are some of the hardest we've ever witnessed in the UFC. His all-action, pressure style must be incredibly taxing on his body, maybe even to the point that fatigue changed his style in their rematch rather than organizational pressure.
Merab has it all to do, but that's never stopped him before. His career has been forged by adversity and grit. That said, like every "Machine," he too can rust.
Chuck: The one thing Merab isn't equipped to deal with is another man's schedule. I think this wait for the trilogy is torture for a man who sees idling as a pestilence, which is why he competes in RAF and rides down the Vegas Strip on a motorized couch. He bores easily, and that goes into this psychological interplay here.
The thing is, Merab is built to compete, and this is where it all heads. As I alluded to on the last question, I've arrived at thinking a little like you do on this one, Petesy. Yan has a piece of Merab's soul right now, and Merab's primary objective in life is to get it back.
Problem is, Yan figured some stuff out in that last encounter. Unless he sees a radical wrinkle to Merab's game, he knows what to expect, and he knows how to counter it, and all of that knowledge leads to confidence. And I have to say, I love that this fight carries such a personal element.
Lone'er Kavanagh (R) is back in action this weekend.
Chuck: I won't touch your Lone'er, Petesy, as I know you have a special place in your heart for him, so I'll go with Aaron Pico and the "Black Panther," Losene Keita. Originally it was supposed to be Arnold Allen against Pico, which held a fair amount of charm for me, but Keita looked as good as advertised in his last fight against Muhammad Naimov.
Keita disappointed on many levels in his UFC debut against Nathaniel Wood, which — in retrospect, and somewhat euphemistically — we can chalk up to "Octagon jitters." Also, it's getting down to do-or-die time for Pico, which makes for a rabid ordeal. Think this one delivers.
Petesy: Octagon jitters? I think you're being too kind to the matchmakers — that was an absolute baptism of fire for Keita. Before that, they'd him matched with Patricio Pitbull, and the fight only fell off because Keita failed to make weight. What the hell did this kid do to deserve this? I agree that him versus Pico is a banger, though.
I can also agree in terms of my sentiments toward Lone'er Kavanagh. Like the champion, Joshua Van, Kavanagh is incapable of being in a bad fight. I feel like he was on the fast track after the Brandon Moreno win. He hit a speed bump against Brandon Royval, but UFC matchmakers appeared to have treated it like an iceberg instead.
Ramazan Temirov is a seek-and-destroy pocket rocket. He hits like a train and makes for the perfect dance partner against the delicate, sophisticated striking of Kavanagh.
I also doubt the fight hears the final bell — a comment that used to mean something before the decision purge of 2026.
Alexander Volkov (R) and the rest of his V-name compatriots have taken over UFC 333.
Petesy: Back in the day, if you saw a card like this, you'd prepare yourself for a long night in front of the television and the likelihood of witnessing a number of men lose the will to live for 15 minutes under a bearded flesh mountain.
But you know what's great about the UFC now? They don't care for that sort of thing. Decision wins? They don't even count, bro. Michael Page and Farid Basharat are evidence of this. Everyone is a lot more comfortable with this than I am. Spectacle outweighing sport in terms of importance is very uncomfortable for me.
It should be uncomfortable for a lot of lads whose last names end in "v" too. I feel it's their particular brand of brutality that is under attack by the current administration. Let's see if they can fall in line and decimate their foes for the joy of the masses.
Chuck: Agree here. But you know what it really means, Petesy? There's a really tempting nine-leg parlay to be had. I'd say 11-leg , but we have some "v" on "v" crime on this card, as Nikita Krylov is scheduled to face Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev and Alexander Volkov is fighting Rizvan Kuniev.
As a helpful reminder for the gamblers out there: When addressing such tiebreakers, always go with the guy who sneaks an "h" behind the "k" in his name (meaning Yakhyaev, who shares hidden "h" aura with Shavkat Rakhmonov), and if you can, default to anyone who also sports a "z" in their name (so Rizvan, in this instance).
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