UFC 333 Card Announced: Volkanovski and Yan Put Titles on the Line Against Evloev and Dvalishvili

UFC 333 will head to Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena on October 24 with two championship fights topping the bill, as Alexander Volkanovski defends his featherweight title against the unbeaten Movsar Evloev and Petr Yan puts his bantamweight title on the line against former champion Merab Dvalishvili.

The card was announced during the UFC's latest broadcast at UFC 331, which saw Ireland's Ian Machado Garry narrowly fall short against reigning welterweight champion and UFC pound-for-pound number one Islam Makhachev.

Volkanovski (28-4) will put the gold on the line for the second time in his second reign as the king at 145lbs when he squares off against Movsar Evloev.

The Australian reclaimed the vacant championship against Diego Lopes at UFC 314 before defeating the Brazilian once again in their rematch at UFC 325 to successfully defend the belt.

Evloev is no easy contender for the Australian to deal with. Walking into the Octagon in October, the Russian holds a perfect 20-0 record, with his latest victory coming against Lerone Murphy at UFC London earlier this year, albeit in controversial fashion.

Unlike Volkanovski, this will be the first time Evloev has competed for UFC gold.

'The Great' first won the belt after defeating Max Holloway at UFC 245 and went on to make five successful title defences before being stopped by Ilia Topuria in 2024.

For the third time in their careers, Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili will enter the Octagon as rivals, with the bantamweight championship sitting in Yan's corner this time around.

Both men's last fight came against each other at UFC 323, where Yan was declared the winner via unanimous decision after five rounds, denying the Georgian the opportunity to become the first UFC champion to defend a title four times in the same calendar year.

Despite suffering that defeat at the end of 2025, victories over Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O'Malley and Cory Sandhagen showcased Dvalishvili's relentless work rate and exceptional cardio.

Yan, meanwhile, has the opportunity to make the first successful defence of his second bantamweight reign, while Dvalishvili will be looking to reclaim his long-standing title.

Despite his defeat to Brandon Royval at UFC 329 in July, Lone'er Kavanagh's stock hasn't slowed down, with the English flyweight earning a featured fight in Abu Dhabi against seventh-ranked Ramazan Temirov.

Joining the UFC towards the end of 2024, Kavanagh's rise through the flyweight division has been notable.

Charles Johnson briefly slowed that rise at UFC Shanghai in 2025, handing Kavanagh the first defeat of his professional career.

However, a victory over Brandon Moreno in Mexico in his very next fight put Kavanagh firmly back on the radar.

Temirov has fought three times inside the UFC since joining the promotion in 2024.

Victories over CJ Vergara, Charles Johnson and Steve Erceg have earned the Uzbek the opportunity to add another high-profile name to his résumé.

Further down the card, it's an all-Russian affair as Alexander Volkov takes on fellow countryman Rizvan Kuniev in a heavyweight clash.

Approaching a decade of UFC experience, Volkov will be hoping to halt Kuniev's recent run of form despite his opponent's relatively short time in the promotion.

Last time out, Kuniev earned Fight of the Night honours after stopping Tyrell Fortune in the final round of their contest.

Volkov's last appearance ended in a unanimous decision victory over Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 328.

The first fight of the main card sees Arnold Allen take on Aaron Pico at featherweight.

Despite a difficult few years, Allen returned to winning ways in May after defeating Melquizael Costa via unanimous decision.

The Ipswich fighter will now look to build on that momentum against one of the most highly regarded prospects to emerge from the United States in recent years.

After spending much of his career under the Bellator banner, Pico made the move to the UFC and currently holds a 1-1 record inside the promotion.

His recent victory over Patrício Pitbull remains fresh in the minds of many.

The rest of the announced bouts include a light heavyweight clash between Dominick Reyes (16-5) and Azamat Murzakanov (16-1), with Murzakanov looking to bounce back after suffering a first-round knockout defeat in his last outing.

At middleweight, Abus Magomedov (27-9-1) faces Cam Rowston (15-3), while Nikita Krylov (31-12) takes on 25-year-old Turkish prospect Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev (10-0) at light heavyweight.

In the final announced bout, Grant Dawson meets the unranked Nurullo Aliev in a lightweight contest.

With two championship fights at the top of the card and several ranked contenders further down the bill, UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi will have significant implications across multiple divisions.

Volkanovski and Yan will both be looking to continue their respective title reigns, while Evloev and Dvalishvili have the opportunity to establish themselves once again at the top of their divisions.