Movsar Evloev wants a long night. Alexander Volkanovski is planning to cut it short.
The UFC featherweight champion told MMA Junkie on Sunday, at an Engage fan event in Dubai, that he expects to stop the undefeated challenger when they headline UFC 333 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. “I’m saying I’ll finish him inside the five rounds for sure,” Volkanovski said, adding that he thinks he can get it done in pretty wild fashion.
This is the latest round of a back-and-forth that has been simmering all week. Volkanovski had already said there was no way Evloev could outwork him over 25 minutes. Evloev answered on Friday, telling MMA Junkie that his goal is to thoroughly dominate the champ across all five rounds and that he wouldn’t be upset if the fight went to the scorecards. Volkanovski heard that and doubled down to kick off fight week.
His argument is pretty simple. Evloev’s wrestling has carried him past everyone so far, and Volkanovski says that’s exactly the area where he can’t be beaten. “Trying to out grapple me for 25 minutes, I can’t see it,” he said. In his view, the only way Evloev (or anybody else on the roster) gets his hand raised is by landing something that catches him, and he was clear he says that about every opponent. He also said he meant no disrespect, and that he wants Evloev to bring his best version.
Volkanovski did push back on the idea that the challenger is helpless standing up. “Of course he can strike,” he said, calling Evloev’s standup calculated and awkward and still dangerous. He just believes he’s the superior striker and intends to keep it there. “It’s going to be forced to be on the feet, and let’s see how good his striking is,” Volkanovski said. He even floated the idea that people will walk away asking whether this was the best version of him ever.
The numbers explain why Evloev is so confident about the slow-grind approach. He’s 20-0 overall and 10-0 in the UFC, ranked No. 2 at featherweight, and he’s landed 52 takedowns across those 10 octagon appearances. Volkanovski is 28-4 with a 15-3 UFC record and sits at No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie pound-for-pound rankings. He’s 38, Evloev is 32, and Volkanovski is the oldest champion currently holding UFC gold.
That age gap follows him into every fight, and he doesn’t pretend otherwise. He has already said he would likely retire if things go horribly wrong in Abu Dhabi. On Sunday he made his long-term outlook plain: “There’s no plans to retire, but we’re not going to be silly and act delusional like I’ve got another 10 fights left in me.” He figures he has a couple more in him, maybe a few.
I love this. Promising a finish against a guy who has never lost is the riskiest kind of promise a 38-year-old champion can make, and Volkanovski said it to a room full of fans and a recorder. That’s calling your shot. Evloev telling the world he’d happily take a decision is the most Evloev sentence imaginable, and it’s also a little bit of a tell. You don’t game-plan for 25 minutes of top control unless you think the first 10 on the feet might go badly. If Volk keeps this standing and starts cracking him by Round 3, this thing ends with the challenger’s undefeated record in the rearview. If Evloev gets his early takedowns, the old man gets put through the hardest night of his life. Find out Saturday on Paramount+.
