Movsar Evloev finally has his title shot against Alexander Volkanovski. Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan will finally settle things once and for all. And UFC 333 finally has its line-up set.
Announced during Saturday’s UFC 330 main card, UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on October 24 at the Etihad Arena will be headlined by Alexander Volkanovski (28-4) putting his featherweight title on the line against Russia’s Movsar Evloev (20-0).
In the co-main event, current bantamweight champ Yan (20-5) and former champ Dvalishvili (21-5) will meet for the third time, with their career series tied 1-1.
Several other fights were also announced on Saturday, including an anticipated featherweight showdown between England’s Arnold Allen, and former Bellator star Aaron Pico.
Movsar Evloev has long been the most deserving contender in the featherweight division, but his lack of finishes saw him passed over by the likes of Diego Lopes, who he holds a win over. A March decision victory over Lerone Murphy, however, made the former M-1 champ’s case for a title shot undeniable. Evloev is 10-0 under the UFC banner.
Volkanovski reclaimed his featherweight title last year, and defended it this past April, beating Diego Lopes each time. It’s the second reign for the Australian, who is now 37 and destined for the UFC Hall of Fame.
Like Volkanovski, Petr Yan is on his second reign as UFC champion. While also holding an interim belt, Yan has yet to successfully defend one of his titles in the UFC. The Russian has won his last four fights, and beat Dvalishvili by decision to reclaim gold at UFC 323 in December.
Dvalishvili, like Yan, has not competed since their December showdown. He had defended his bantamweight crown three times prior to the Yan loss, tying the promotion record. The Georgian was also trying for a record fourth title defense inside of a year when he lost to Yan.
UFC 333’s card as announced on Saturday breaks down as follows:
- Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Movsar Evloev – for the UFC featherweight championship
- Petr Yan (c) vs. Merab Dvalishvili – for the UFC bantamweight championship
- Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Ramazonbek Temirov
- Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev
- Arnold Allen vs. Aaron Pico
