With the festivities in Philadelphia wrapped up, the headliners for UFC 333 are officially set. The Abu Dhabi card, scheduled for October 24, was announced during the UFC 330 broadcast, where Islam Makhachev defeated Ian Machado Garry to extend his incredible Octagon winning streak to 17.
The event will feature two title fights, with Alexander Volkanovski defending his featherweight crown against Movsar Evloev in the main event. Volkanovski will be looking for the second defense of his second reign at 145 pounds after reclaiming the vacant title with a win over Diego Lopes at UFC 314 last April.
Meanwhile, Evloev finally gets his long-awaited shot at UFC gold after edging out Lerone Murphy in a title eliminator at UFC London in March. There had been some talk of Jean Silva potentially jumping ahead of him in the title picture, but with the Brazilian booked to face Yair Rodriguez at UFC Noche, it seemed almost inevitable that Evloev would get the call.
TWO TITLE FIGHTS IN ABU DHABI 🏆
The Featherweight and Flyweight titles will be on the line on October 24!
[ #UFC333 | LIVE on @paramountplus ] pic.twitter.com/DIVv7rOXvc
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 16, 2026
And the Russian has certainly earned it. Evloev owns impressive wins over Lopes, Arnold Allen and Aljamain Sterling while riding a 10-fight UFC winning streak. More importantly, he remains unbeaten at a perfect 20-0.
The co-main event will bring another familiar rivalry back into the spotlight, as Petr Yan takes on Merab Dvalishvili in a bantamweight title trilogy. Yan became a two-time undisputed champion at UFC 323 last December, reclaiming the belt from Dvalishvili after an incredible run from the Georgian in 2025 that saw him defeat Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley and Cory Sandhagen in less than 12 months.
Yan, however, stopped the Georgian’s momentum in their rematch, snapping Dvalishvili’s 14-fight winning streak and avenging his earlier loss from 2023. There was plenty of discussion afterward about whether Dvalishvili’s relentless schedule and record-setting championship activity had finally caught up with him.
Now, he has the perfect opportunity to settle the score. With Yan and Dvalishvili sitting at one win apiece, their third meeting gives both men a chance to finally settle the rivalry and prove who is the better fighter. And there is plenty more to look forward to beyond the two title fights.
The rest of the UFC 333 main card features Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov, Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev and Arnold Allen vs. Aaron Pico. The prelims are stacked as well, with Dominick Reyes vs. Azamat Murzakanov, Abus Magomedov vs. Cam Rowston, Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev and Grant Dawson vs. Nurullo Aliev.
All things considered, Abu Dhabi is shaping up for one seriously fun night of fights. Etihad Arena looks set to have a stacked card on its hands.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
