# Evloev welcomes Volkanovski's five-round confidence ahead of UFC 333

Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com)
Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/article/evloev-welcomes-volkanovskis-five-round-confidence-ahead-of-ufc-333-mvb8r7bc
Section: MMA (https://sportsbriefly.com/en/mma)
Author: SportsBriefly
Language: en
Published: 2026-10-16T17:28:16.878+00:00
Updated: 2026-10-16T18:07:03.234939+00:00

> Undefeated featherweight Movsar Evloev says champion Alexander Volkanovski is miscalculating by believing a long fight favours him when they meet for the title in Abu Dhabi next week.

## TL;DR
- Movsar Evloev (20-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC) challenges two-time featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (29-4) in the UFC 333 main event on Oct 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
- Volkanovski has suggested the longer the fight goes the more it favours him — Evloev, whose 10 UFC wins have all gone the distance, calls that a miscalculation.
- Evloev's only five-round fight was a majority decision over Lerone Murphy in the UFC London main event in March, his first bout after a 15-month layoff.
- UFC president Dana White has confirmed the event will go ahead in Abu Dhabi with no contingency plans; Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title is the co-main event.

## Key points
- UFC 333: Oct 24, Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi; Volkanovski vs Evloev featherweight title headliner; the fight is a pick'em at the betting window.
- Evloev: 20-0 MMA, 10-0 UFC, every UFC win by decision; first fight in 15 months was the March majority-decision win over Lerone Murphy.
- Volkanovski: 29-4, two-time champion, back-to-back Fight of the Night decisions over Diego Lopes in his second reign.
- Evloev expects Volkanovski to pursue a 'send-off' superfight with lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, win or lose — and says there is 'no chance' of it happening as champ-vs-champ if he loses the belt.
- Volkanovski previously proposed the Gaethje superfight for 2027 with the lightweight title on the line.
- Co-main event: Petr Yan defends the bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili; Dana White ruled out moving the card despite regional tensions.



Mentions: Movsar Evloev, Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 333, Etihad Arena, Lerone Murphy, Diego Lopes, Justin Gaethje, Dana White, Petr Yan, Merab Dvalishvili, Aljamain Sterling, Islam Makhachev

## Sources
- [mmajunkie.usatoday.com](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2026/10/16/ufc-333-movsar-evloev-exclusive-video-interview-prediction-alexander-volkanovski-featherweight-title/92280992007/)
- [sherdog.com](https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Movsar-Evloev-says-hes-entering-his-prime-before-Alexander-Volkanovski-title-fight-203185)
- [middleeasy.com](https://middleeasy.com/mma-news/dana-white-ufc333-abu-dhabi-no-contingency-plans/)
- [10bmnews.com](https://10bmnews.com/ufc-champ-alexander-volkanovski-proposes-send-off-superbout-vs-justin-gaethje/)