Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan got their last close look at their challengers on Friday, squaring off with Movsar Evloev and Merab Dvalishvili at the ceremonial weigh-ins in Abu Dhabi ahead of Saturday’s UFC 333. MMA Fighting posted the final faceoffs, and the UFC shared both on X, billing the main event as “A date with destiny” and the co-main as “The last stand.”
The card stacks two title fights on top. Volkanovski, the two-time featherweight champion, defends against Evloev in the main event. Yan, the bantamweight titleholder, meets Dvalishvili in the co-main to close out their trilogy. UFC 333 goes Saturday, Oct. 24, with the broadcast starting at 2 p.m. ET on Paramount Plus. Central Oregon Daily also ran video of the full card’s final faceoffs.
What They Said
All four fighters got the microphone after the staredowns, and nobody wasted many words. Dvalishvili went first and kept it brief: “This is going to be an exciting fight. And new.”
The Yan and Dvalishvili rivalry carries more than a belt. Both men sit near the front of any argument about the best bantamweight ever, and Yan leaned straight into that. On Saturday, he said, “I show you who’s best of the best.”
Evloev arrives at 10-0 in the UFC and still undefeated overall, and he spoke like a man who has been waiting a long time for a title shot. “All the work has been done,” Evloev said. “Everything that needs to be said has been said. And now I need to do things I’ve been working on for so long. Let’s go!”
Volkanovski, who is trying to turn back another contender and strengthen his claim as the greatest featherweight of all time, closed the segment by talking to the crowd directly. “You’re in for a treat,” he said. “Co-main and main event, champion vs. No. 1 contender. That’s how it should be. Let’s put on a show for you. Enjoy!”
What’s Next
The next time these four share a room, it’ll be inside the cage on Saturday night. Two belts are up for grabs, and two all-time arguments are on the line. If Evloev wins, he goes from patient contender to champion without ever having lost. If Volkanovski holds him off, the featherweight GOAT case gets one more line. The trilogy settles a series that both bantamweights clearly treat as personal history.
My take: Volkanovski is right, and I’d like to see this matchmaking more often. Champion against the No. 1 contender, twice, on one card, with no interim belts and nobody holding out for a money fight. I like it, and I’d frame the ticket stub. The trilogy is the fight I’m watching for adjustments, because a third meeting rewards whoever learned more from the first two, and Yan’s line sounded like a man who has done that homework. In the main event, Evloev’s composure (“everything that needs to be said has been said”) reads like someone who won’t flinch at the moment. I’m still taking Volkanovski, because a two-time champion who calls the event a treat is not a nervous man. I just hope the judges stay out of the spotlight Saturday, and I’ll say this now: nobody should hand out a 10-8 unless one actually happens.