UFC News: Volkanovski, Yan, Prates vs Morales (Week 44)

UFC News This Week: Volkanovski Stops Evloev, Yan Wins the Trilogy and Makhachev Pulls Out of UFC 336

Oct 27, 2026 · By Dan Kessler, Editor

Alexander Volkanovski in a black T-shirt during a media interview at UFC 232 in 2018

Image: MMAnytt, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Volkanovski stops the unbeaten Evloev to keep the featherweight title

The biggest story of the week is a 38-year-old champion doing something nobody had managed in 20 professional fights. Alexander Volkanovski stopped Movsar Evloev at 4:54 of the second round at UFC 333 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 24 October, handing Evloev the first loss of his career and keeping the 145lb belt.

The first round was close, and Evloev had his moments on the mat, finishing with three takedowns from seven attempts against Volkanovski's one from two. The champion took over in the second. He hurt Evloev with punches in an exchange by the fence, kept throwing until Evloev was on his hands and knees, and referee Marc Goddard stepped in with six seconds of the round left. The official UFC 333 results list it as a TKO, and Volkanovski collected a Performance of the Night bonus.

It is a record night, too. The win was Volkanovski's ninth victory in a UFC featherweight title fight, one more than Jose Aldo's eight, and his first finish since he stopped Yair Rodriguez in 2023. Volkanovski is now 29-4 and Evloev 20-1. Dana White called him "an absolute stud" at the post-fight press conference and praised him for being the one pushing for the finish.

What happens next is the interesting part. In the build-up Volkanovski repeatedly floated a lightweight "send-off" fight with champion Justin Gaethje, and White told Main Event that when a fighter reaches his level "there isn't too many things we'd say 'no' to him about." Gaethje, who beat Ilia Topuria for the belt on 14 June, is still recovering from that fight, and Arman Tsarukyan is the man most expect him to face if he carries on. Nothing has been booked. Yahoo's Uncrowned pound-for-pound list, updated on 26 October, moved Volkanovski up to No. 2 behind Islam Makhachev.

Yan beats Dvalishvili again and settles the bantamweight trilogy

Petr Yan is still the bantamweight champion after beating Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in the co-main event, with all three judges scoring it 48-47. It was Yan's first defence since he took the belt from Dvalishvili at UFC 323 last December, and it puts him 2-1 up in the series after Dvalishvili won the first fight in 2023.

It was a comeback win. Dvalishvili started at his usual pace and landed takedowns early, and MMA Sucka gave him the second round. From the third Yan stuffed more of the wrestling and went to the body, hurting Dvalishvili with a kick to the liver, and the judges gave him three of the five rounds. The UFC named it Fight of the Night.

ESPN noted that the UFC seated contender Song Yadong cageside, which looks like a hint about where the division goes next. Yan moves to 21-5 and Dvalishvili drops to 21-6. ESPN's Jeff Wagenheim expects the trilogy to be the end of the story.

Makhachev out of UFC 336, Prates and Morales to fight for interim gold

Islam Makhachev will not defend the welterweight title at UFC 336 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on 30 January 2027. The UFC announced on 24 October that the champion had told it he could not make the date, and instead booked Carlos Prates against the unbeaten Michael Morales for an interim belt in the co-main event. The UFC has not given a reason, and reports of an injury are unconfirmed.

Both men have a strong case. Prates has won three in a row with a bonus each time, knocking out Geoff Neal, Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena. Morales has never lost, although he has not fought since stopping Sean Brady in the first round in November 2025. The winner is expected to meet Makhachev later in 2027.

The main event in Toronto is a flyweight title fight between champion Joshua Van and Manel Kape. Kape has won four straight, including a stoppage of Kyoji Horiguchi in June, and has been chasing a title shot for years.

Kavanagh finishes Temirov and puts himself in the flyweight queue

London's Lone'er Kavanagh gave British fans the result of the night on the main card, stopping Ramazan Temirov with punches at 4:28 of the first round. It earned the Great Britain Top Team fighter a Performance of the Night bonus and took his record to 11-2.

The win matters because of what came before it. Kavanagh beat Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision in February, then lost to Brandon Royval by third-round submission at UFC 329 in July, so this was a chance to show the Royval loss was a stumble rather than a ceiling. ESPN reports that he wants to wait for the winner of Van vs Kape in January and fight them next.

Temirov falls to 20-4. Kavanagh is 2-2 across his last four UFC fights, but both wins in that run came against names the division knows, and he is still only 27.

Reyes knocks out Murzakanov and names two targets

Dominick Reyes produced the cleanest finish of the prelims. The former light heavyweight title challenger chopped at Azamat Murzakanov's legs, rocked him with a head kick, dropped him with a left hand and finished with ground strikes until referee Mike Beltran stopped it at 2:40 of the first round. Reyes is now 17-5; Murzakanov falls to 16-2.

Asked by Daniel Cormier who he wanted next, the 36-year-old went straight for the top five: "I like No. 3 or No. 4. You know that's Paulo and Khalil." That means Paulo Costa, who beat Murzakanov in his last outing, or Khalil Rountree Jr., who last lost to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 320. Neither fight has been made.

Dominick Reyes in a dark Venum T-shirt in front of a UFC backdrop in 2024

Image: Chamatkar Sandhu, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Elsewhere at UFC 333: Volkov, Pico and an unbeaten Yakhyaev

Alexander Volkov beat Rizvan Kuniev by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) to move to 41-11 at heavyweight. Aaron Pico needed only 1:14 to stop Losene Keita and is now 15-5, while Keita drops to 17-3.

At light heavyweight, Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev stopped Nikita Krylov in 2:38 to go 11-0, while Abus Magomedov submitted Cam Rowston with a guillotine in 1:44 at middleweight. Grant Dawson won a clear decision over Nurullo Aliev, who lost a point in the first round and suffered his first defeat. The full card, with every method and time, is on our UFC events page.

Julian Erosa says Halloween will be his last fight

Featherweight veteran Julian Erosa said this week that his prelim against JeongYeong Lee at the Meta APEX on Saturday 31 October will be the final fight of his career. The 37-year-old said he set a firm date because he knows he would want to keep going whatever the result, and that becoming a father changed what matters to him.

Erosa comes in on two straight losses, most recently a first-round stoppage by Lerryan Douglas in March. He has fought professionally for more than 15 years, and his last UFC win was a first-round knockout of Darren Elkins at UFC 314 in April 2025.

Horiguchi returns against Almabayev in Doha

Kyoji Horiguchi confirmed on 26 October that his next fight is against Asu Almabayev at the UFC Fight Night in Doha on 21 November. It is Horiguchi's first outing since Manel Kape stopped him in the third round in June, which ended an eight-fight unbeaten run.

Almabayev is 24-3 and has won three straight, the latest a rare Suloev stretch submission of Charles Johnson in June that earned him a bonus. With Kape now booked for the title, the winner in Doha joins Kavanagh in the group of contenders waiting behind him.

What to watch next week

The next rankings update: the first official UFC rankings since Abu Dhabi. Look for where Evloev lands after his first loss, how far Dvalishvili drops and whether Kavanagh and Reyes move up. The UFC rankings page is the place to check.

Saturday 31 October: Renato Moicano against Tom Nolan headlines the Fight Night at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. It is Nolan's first five-round fight and comes on a five-fight winning streak. The UFC lists the prelims at 9pm GMT on Saturday and the main card at midnight GMT, so UK fans are looking at an early hours main event. Randy Brown against Jacobe Smith is the co-main, and Erosa's farewell is on the prelims. Our guide to watching UFC in the UK has the details on where to find it.

Further ahead: UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on 14 November, with Ciryl Gane against Josh Hokit for the heavyweight title and Kayla Harrison against Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight belt. Keep an eye too on any reply from Gaethje to Volkanovski's lightweight idea.

Sources

FAQs

Who won Volkanovski vs Evloev at UFC 333?

Alexander Volkanovski won. He stopped Movsar Evloev by TKO at 4:54 of the second round at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on 24 October 2026, keeping the UFC featherweight title. It was the first loss of Evloev's professional career, leaving him 20-1, and it was Volkanovski's ninth win in a UFC featherweight title fight, one more than Jose Aldo.

Did Petr Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili in their third fight?

Yes. Petr Yan retained the UFC bantamweight title by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 48-47. Dvalishvili had the better of the early rounds with his wrestling, but Yan stopped more takedowns from the third round and hurt him to the body. Yan now leads their series 2-1, and the fight won Fight of the Night.

Why is Islam Makhachev not fighting at UFC 336?

The UFC said Makhachev told the promotion he could not make the 30 January 2027 date in Toronto, but it has not given an official reason. Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will now fight for the interim welterweight title, with the winner expected to face Makhachev later in 2027.

Will Volkanovski move up to lightweight to fight Justin Gaethje?

Nothing is booked. Volkanovski has floated a lightweight send-off fight with champion Justin Gaethje, and Dana White said before UFC 333 that there is not much the UFC would refuse a fighter of his standing. Gaethje is still recovering from his June win over Ilia Topuria, and Arman Tsarukyan is widely seen as his next challenger if he continues.

What time does UFC Fight Night Moicano vs Nolan start in the UK?

The UFC lists the prelims at 9pm GMT on Saturday 31 October and the main card at midnight GMT, which is the early hours of Sunday 1 November in the UK. Renato Moicano against Tom Nolan is a five-round lightweight main event at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, the first five-round fight of Nolan's career.