Alexander Volkanovski: record, style and what is next
Alexander Volkanovski: who he is and where he stands
Alexander Volkanovski is the reigning UFC featherweight champion, and at 38 he is still the reference point for the division. His professional record is 28 wins and 4 losses as of 20 October 2026: 13 wins by KO or TKO, 3 by submission and 12 by decision. The UFC ranks him second pound for pound, and he was born on 29 September 1988 in Wollongong, New South Wales.
Known as "The Great", he is listed at 5 ft 6 in with a 71.5 inch reach, which is generous for his height at 145 pounds. He trains at Freestyle Fighting Gym, and he was the first Australian-born champion in UFC history. On Saturday 24 October he defends the belt against the undefeated Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, a card covered in our UFC 333 preview. The man across the cage has his own page too: Movsar Evloev: record, style and what is next.
How Volkanovski fights
Volkanovski wins with volume, movement and accuracy rather than a single big punch. The UFC career figures give him 57 per cent significant strike accuracy, 5.99 significant strikes landed per minute against 3.31 absorbed, and 59 per cent significant strike defence. Only 13 of his 28 wins are stoppages by strikes, and his average fight time is 16 minutes 50 seconds, so he is a fighter who builds a lead and finishes when the opponent fades.
On the feet he is a footwork fighter. He circles off the fence and out of his opponent's centreline, interrupts the approach with the jab, and mixes inside low kicks with stance switches to land the lead hook. That exact sequence set up the third-round stoppage of Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290. He started as a wrestler, scores takedowns off punches that square an opponent's hips, and his guard is hard to submit: he escaped a guillotine from Brian Ortega at UFC 266 and went on to win a unanimous decision. One breakdown of the UFC 333 matchup makes the same points about his movement.
The soft spot is his chin when he stays in the pocket. He tends to lean back in exchanges, and two of his three knockout defeats, to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, came that way. His UFC takedown defence is listed at 69 per cent, which is worth remembering this week against a wrestling-first challenger.
The road to the belt
Volkanovski turned professional in 2012, fought mainly in Oceania and joined the UFC in 2016. He won the featherweight title from Max Holloway at UFC 245 on 14 December 2019, then beat Holloway again by split decision at UFC 251.
That first reign included five successful defences: Holloway at UFC 251, Brian Ortega at UFC 266, Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273 (a fourth-round TKO), Holloway for a third time at UFC 276 by unanimous decision, and Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290, which also unified the interim title.
He then went up to lightweight to challenge Makhachev and lost twice. The first was a unanimous decision at UFC 284 in February 2023. The second was a first-round knockout at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on 21 October 2023, where he stepped in as champion after Charles Oliveira withdrew injured. Four months later Topuria knocked him out in the second round at UFC 298 in Anaheim and took the featherweight title.
The recent run
Since the Topuria loss Volkanovski has fought the same man twice and won both times, as of 20 October 2026:
- 1 February 2026, UFC 325, Sydney: unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) to retain the title. It earned Fight of the Night.
- 12 April 2025, UFC 314, Miami: unanimous decision win over Lopes (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) for the vacant title, after Topuria left the division for lightweight. Also Fight of the Night.
- 17 February 2024, UFC 298, Anaheim: knockout loss to Topuria in round two at 3:32.
Both Lopes fights went the full five rounds, which fits his profile: he wins on pace and control. He has not fought since February, a gap of more than eight months by the time UFC 333 arrives.
What happens next: UFC 333
Volkanovski headlines UFC 333 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 24 October 2026, in a five-round featherweight title fight against Evloev, who is 20-0 and ranked number one. It is familiar ground: his knockout loss to Makhachev at UFC 294 came in the same arena. Evloev also beat Lopes by decision, in 2023, so the two men share a common opponent. The co-main event is the bantamweight title fight between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili.
A win would be his second defence of this reign and would leave the number one contender beaten. A loss would end the reign and hand Evloev the belt with his 21st straight win. Either way it settles who sits at the top of the division for the near future.
FAQs
What is Alexander Volkanovski's record?
Alexander Volkanovski is 28-4 as of 20 October 2026. He has 13 wins by KO or TKO, 3 by submission and 12 by decision. Two of his four defeats came against Islam Makhachev and one against Ilia Topuria. He has won both of his fights since the Topuria loss, each against Diego Lopes.
Is Volkanovski still UFC featherweight champion?
Yes. He won the vacant title from Diego Lopes at UFC 314 in April 2025 and retained it against Lopes at UFC 325 in February 2026. It is his second reign, after losing the first belt to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. He defends it against Movsar Evloev on 24 October 2026.
Who is Volkanovski fighting next?
Volkanovski fights Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 24 October 2026. It is a five-round featherweight title fight and the main event. Evloev is 20-0 and ranked number one in the division by the UFC.
How tall is Alexander Volkanovski and what is his reach?
Volkanovski is 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) tall with a 71.5 inch (182 cm) reach, long for a featherweight of his height. He fights at 145 pounds, and the UFC lists his age as 38. He was born on 29 September 1988 in Wollongong, New South Wales.
Where does Alexander Volkanovski train and where is he from?
Volkanovski was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, and trains at Freestyle Fighting Gym. The UFC lists his hometown as Shellharbour. He was the first Australian-born UFC champion, and he defended his title in Sydney at UFC 325 in February 2026.