# UFC 333 post-event facts: Volkanovski's record ninth featherweight title win

Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com)
Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/mma/ufc-333-post-event-facts-volkanovski-s-record-ninth-featherweight-title-win-2026
Language: en
Published: 2026-10-26T03:17:44.552+00:00
Updated: 2026-10-26T03:17:44.619102+00:00

> Alexander Volkanovski's ninth win in a UFC featherweight title fight sets a new divisional record, moving him clear of José Aldo — the headline number from UFC 333's official post-event ledger.

## TL;DR
- Volkanovski's ninth UFC featherweight title-fight win is a new divisional record, ahead of José Aldo.
- Volkanovski stopped Evloev by TKO at 4:54 of round two; Evloev suffered the first loss of his career.
- Petr Yan retained the bantamweight title 48-47 on all three cards to close the trilogy with Merab Dvalishvili.
- Fight-night bonuses of $100,000 went to Volkanovski, Yan, Dvalishvili and Lone'er Kavanagh.
- The 14-bout card lasted 2 hours 21 minutes 32 seconds in total, with betting favourites going 10-2.

## Key points
- Volkanovski's ninth win in a UFC featherweight title fight is a new divisional record, moving him clear of José Aldo.
- Volkanovski stopped Evloev by TKO at 4:54 of round two; his record now stands at 29-4, while Evloev fell to 20-1 with his first professional defeat.
- Petr Yan retained the bantamweight title by unanimous decision over Merab Dvalishvili, 48-47 on all three cards, closing their trilogy.
- The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for UFC 333 totalled $314,500.
- Total fight time for the 14-bout card was 2 hours 21 minutes 32 seconds.
- Betting favourites went 10-2 on the card.
- No next opponent has been confirmed for Volkanovski, Yan or Evloev.

## A record book, not just a results sheet

This is not another results report from UFC 333. The belts, the stoppages and the scorecards at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 24 October have already been recorded; what remains, two days later, is the official post-event ledger. Two champions retained their titles, but only one left Yas Island holding a divisional record outright, while the other closed one of the most demanding trilogies in recent UFC history.

## Volkanovski stands alone

The headline number belongs to Alexander Volkanovski. His second-round technical knockout of Movsar Evloev was his ninth win in a UFC featherweight title fight, a new divisional record. He had previously been tied with José Aldo, whose most recent featherweight title-fight win came at UFC 200 in July 2016. Volkanovski now stands alone at the top of that list,.

The finish itself came with six seconds remaining in the second round, at 4:54, after a right hand followed by ground-and-pound ended Evloev's resistance. Evloev had made the opening round difficult, using his wrestling to take the champion down three times, but Volkanovski repeatedly returned to his feet. In the second round, the champion increased his striking pressure, staggered Evloev with a clean right hand, and followed up with the punches that sent the challenger to the canvas. Referee Marc Goddard then stopped the contest.

Volkanovski's record now stands at 29-4 in mixed martial arts and 16-3 in the UFC. His 14 victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history, behind Max Holloway with 20, Darren Elkins with 18 and Cub Swanson with 16. The win over Evloev was also his second successful title defence during his second reign as featherweight champion, after he reclaimed the vacant title by defeating Diego Lopes in April 2025 and defended it against Lopes again in February 2026. Volkanovski said he wants to keep stacking wins, while Evloev called him a great champion.

## A run ended, not a career diminished

For Evloev, the numbers tell a story of a run ended rather than a career diminished. He suffered the first defeat of his professional career, falling to 20-1 in mixed martial arts and 10-1 in the UFC, and his 20-fight winning streak was snapped. That run had been the longest of any active fighter on the UFC roster. His wrestling record remains formidable: he has landed two or more takedowns against 10 of his 11 UFC opponents, and his 53 takedowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are second-most in divisional history, behind Elkins with 65.

## Yan closes the trilogy

![Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili during their UFC 333 bantamweight title fight](https://dcwdppdscydjemfvownz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1792984398928-g5kn97-mma-inside1-2026-10-26-morning.jpg)

In the co-main event, Petr Yan retained the bantamweight title by unanimous decision over Merab Dvalishvili, with all three judges scoring the five-round trilogy fight 48-47. The result closed their trilogy and gave Yan his first UFC title defence in two reigns as champion. Yan's record now stands at 21-5 in mixed martial arts and 13-4 in the UFC, while Dvalishvili is 21-4 in mixed martial arts. Yan's 13 victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for third-most in divisional history, behind Aljamain Sterling and Marlon Vera, who each have 14.

His five-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is tied for the second-longest active streak in the division, behind Raul Rosas Jr. with six, and he has earned 10 of his 13 UFC victories by decision. He has also landed 1,584 significant strikes in UFC bantamweight competition, the most in divisional history. Dvalishvili, for his part, set his own extraordinary marks even in defeat: he has landed 124 takedowns in UFC competition, the most in company history, he attempted 58 takedowns in the fight, a single-fight record for a UFC bout, and he has landed 2,831 total strikes in UFC bantamweight competition, the most in divisional history.

## The event-wide ledger

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for UFC 333 totalled $314,500. Fight-night bonuses of $100,000 each went to Volkanovski, Yan, Dvalishvili and Lone'er Kavanagh, while five fighters earned $25,000 finish bonuses. Total fight time for the 14-bout card was 2 hours 21 minutes 32 seconds. Betting favourites went 10-2 on the card, two fights closed with even odds, and Volkanovski against Evloev was the fourth main event of 2026 to close with even odds. 

## Beyond the two title fights

![UFC 333 action at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi](https://dcwdppdscydjemfvownz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1792984404866-pyd0c4-mma-inside2-2026-10-26-morning.jpg)

Kavanagh earned the first stoppage of his UFC career, stopping Ramazan Temirov by technical knockout at 4:28 of round one; Temirov suffered the first knockout loss of his career. Alexander Volkov's 15 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied for fourth-most in divisional history, behind Andrei Arlovski with 23, Derrick Lewis with 20 and Frank Mir with 16. Dominick Reyes has seven knockout victories in UFC light heavyweight competition, tied for third-most in divisional history behind Chuck Liddell with 10 and Mauricio Rua with eight, while Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev has earned 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage.

## What the numbers leave behind

Volkanovski did not merely defend a title; he separated himself from Aldo in the one featherweight category that defines championship longevity. Yan did not merely win a decision; he recorded a first defence in a second reign, closed a trilogy, and added to divisional striking and winning-streak marks. Evloev and Dvalishvili, meanwhile, leave Abu Dhabi with records that still place them among the most productive fighters in their divisions, even as their winning runs ended. No next opponent has been confirmed for Volkanovski, Yan or Evloev, and none should be assumed from these numbers. Nine title-fight wins, a trilogy closed 48-47, and a 14-fight card whose numbers will be cited long after the arena lights dimmed.

Mentions: Alexander Volkanovski, Movsar Evloev, Petr Yan, Merab Dvalishvili, José Aldo, UFC, UFC 333, Etihad Arena, Lone'er Kavanagh, Ramazan Temirov, Alexander Volkov, Dominick Reyes, Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, Max Holloway, Darren Elkins, Cub Swanson, Aljamain Sterling, Marlon Vera

## Sources
- [mmajunkie.usatoday.com](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/story/sports/ufc/2026/10/25/ufc-333-post-event-facts-history-made-volkanovski-evloev-yan-dvalishvili/92383660007/)
- [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/sports/2026/10/25/ufc-333-volkanovski-knocks-out-evloev-to-retain-featherweight-title)
- [indulgexpress.com](https://www.indulgexpress.com/sports/2026/Oct/25/alexander-volkanovski-makes-ufc-history-with-ninth-featherweight-title-fight-win-against-movsar-evloev)