UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev is an upcoming UFC event on October 24, 2026 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, headlined by Alex Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev. Check the 9-fight card, win probabilities, broadcast options, and venue details below.

Alex Volkanovski defends his featherweight title against unbeaten No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 on Saturday, 24 October 2026, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Evloev finally gets his first UFC championship opportunity against a champion making the second defence of his second reign.

Petr Yan’s bantamweight defence against Merab Dvalishvili brings a different question: which version of their rivalry will decide the trilogy? Dvalishvili controlled their first meeting, but Yan reversed the outcome to reclaim the belt in December 2025. With their series tied 1-1 and both championship contests scheduled for five rounds, this card should reward sustained tactical discipline rather than one explosive opening.

Volkanovski’s clearest route is to keep Evloev resetting rather than let him connect successive wrestling attacks. The champion stands at 28-4 after consecutive unanimous-decision victories over Diego Lopes at UFC 314 and UFC 325. He turns 38 on 29 September, but those back-to-back five-round wins are a better guide to his remaining capacity than age alone.

Volkanovski’s footwork and intercepting strikes repeatedly disrupted Lopes in their rematch, which he won 49-46, 49-46 and 50-45. Against Evloev, our preferred approach would be shorter combinations followed by immediate changes of angle. Standing still to admire a clean punch would give the challenger precisely the opportunity he needs to close distance.

Evloev arrives at 20-0 after unanimous decisions over Arnold Allen in January 2024 and Aljamain Sterling in December 2024, followed by a majority-decision victory over Lerone Murphy on 21 March 2026. His London performance supplied important five-round evidence: switching towards wrestling helped him win the final three rounds on every scorecard despite a point deduction.

The decisive exchange could come after Volkanovski stops the first shot or gets back to his feet. Our reading is that Evloev needs to retain his grip, force another defensive effort and create opportunities to attack from those positions, rather than merely collect takedowns. Volkanovski needs complete escapes back to striking range; repeated partial escapes would leave him spending too much of each round defending instead of landing his cleaner work.

Yan has already demonstrated a workable answer to Dvalishvili’s pressure, making his ability to repeat that performance the central issue in the co-main event. The 20-5 champion reclaimed the belt by unanimous decision on 6 December 2025. His preceding victories over Marcus McGhee in July 2025 and Deiveson Figueiredo in November 2024 also came by unanimous decision.

Dvalishvili remains the No. 1 contender at 21-5, and his recent record offers plenty of evidence against dismissing him after one defeat. Before losing to Yan, he submitted Sean O’Malley in the third round at UFC 316 and outpointed Cory Sandhagen unanimously at UFC 320. The Yan defeat ended a 14-fight winning streak, not a prolonged decline.

The rematch’s wrestling numbers explain why simply demanding more activity from Dvalishvili is insufficient. He completed two of 29 takedown attempts, while Yan landed five of nine. Yan also attacked the body and escaped promptly when grounded, turning defensive success into opportunities to inflict damage.

Our tactical priority for Dvalishvili would be better preparation for his shots, particularly through combinations and pressure towards the fence. Yan’s priority should be preserving the space to strike between wrestling exchanges, rather than becoming absorbed in a contest of who can attempt more takedowns. The second fight showed how valuable those brief striking opportunities can become over 25 minutes.

Arnold Allen vs Aaron Pico is the featherweight support bout to prioritise. Allen beat Melquizael Costa by unanimous decision on 16 May, while Pico earned his first UFC victory by unanimously outpointing Patricio Pitbull on 11 April. Pico’s more measured striking and timely wrestling against Pitbull offer an interesting basis for this matchup: can he make Allen defend without rushing into exchanges?

Loneer Kavanagh vs Ramazonbek Temirov pairs two fighters whose recent wins demand attention beyond prospect status. Kavanagh outpointed former champion Brandon Moreno over five rounds on 28 February; Temirov knocked out former title challenger Steve Erceg in the first round on 25 July. Over three rounds here, Kavanagh’s ability to land combinations and leave safely looks especially important against Temirov’s finishing threat.

The displayed 50.5% chance for Volkanovski against Evloev’s 49.5% makes the main event effectively a pick’em. That one-percentage-point separation does not establish a meaningful favourite. The useful question is which tactical assumption you trust more: Volkanovski consistently escaping into space, or Evloev forcing enough successive exchanges to restrict his offence.

Yan’s 61.1% probability against Dvalishvili’s 38.9% expresses a much stronger preference, but the co-main looks closer to us than that division suggests. Each man has already won this matchup over five rounds, so treating the latest result as the only relevant evidence would be a mistake. That is a reason to scrutinise the assessment, not a claim that backing Dvalishvili automatically offers value.

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Our main-event pick is Movsar Evloev by decision, with little separation between the fighters. His ability to take over the later rounds against Murphy persuades us that repeated wrestling exchanges can leave Volkanovski spending too many minutes escaping rather than scoring. The champion winning through cleaner distance striking remains a very credible outcome, but we narrowly favour Evloev’s sustained pressure.

Our co-main pick is Petr Yan by decision. His body attacks, defensive positioning and quick returns to his feet in the rematch provide a more convincing basis for a repeat win than simply assuming Dvalishvili can overwhelm him with greater volume. We expect a competitive trilogy fight, but favour Yan to produce the more damaging work between wrestling exchanges.

The UFC 333 main card starts at 7pm UK time / 2pm ET on Saturday, 24 October 2026. The UFC lists prelims at 5pm UK / noon ET and early prelims at 3pm UK / 10am ET. These are broadcast-block start times, not a confirmed walkout time for Volkanovski vs Evloev.

UK viewers should use British Summer Time, not GMT, for this card. The clocks go back on Sunday, 25 October 2026, the day after UFC 333, so the Saturday main-card conversion remains 7pm BST.

US coverage is listed on Paramount+. In the UK, TNT Sports includes UFC 333 on its confirmed events schedule, with streaming access through TNT Sports on HBO Max. Check the final television listing before fight night for the specific channel and programme start.

Looking for live or catch-up coverage of UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev 2026? Use the country breakdown below for TV and streaming options.

Event venue, local timezone, and map details for fight night.

When and where is UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev?

UFC 333 takes place on Saturday, 24 October 2026, at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Alex Volkanovski defends the featherweight championship against unbeaten No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev, with Petr Yan’s bantamweight title defence against Merab Dvalishvili serving as the co-main event.

What time does UFC 333 start in the UK and US?

The main card starts at 7pm BST in the UK and 2pm ET in the US on 24 October 2026. Prelims begin at 5pm BST / noon ET, with early prelims listed for 3pm BST / 10am ET. UK clocks do not go back until the following day.

Where can I watch UFC 333 live?

UFC 333 is listed for Paramount+ in the United States and TNT Sports in the United Kingdom. UK streaming is available through TNT Sports on HBO Max. Check your regional programme guide before the event for the final channel assignment and coverage start, rather than assuming another UFC card’s broadcast arrangements apply.

Is Movsar Evloev still undefeated before UFC 333?

Yes, Evloev enters the UFC 333 build-up with a 20-0 professional record and ten UFC victories. His latest win was a majority decision over Lerone Murphy in London on 21 March 2026. Before that, he earned unanimous decisions against Aljamain Sterling and Arnold Allen, building his case for this featherweight title opportunity.

Who won the first two Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili fights?

Dvalishvili won their first fight by unanimous decision on 11 March 2023, while Yan won the rematch by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on 6 December 2025. Yan’s victory also secured the bantamweight championship. Their UFC 333 co-main event is therefore a trilogy decider, with the rivalry level at one win each.