With two championship bouts being held in the Middle East and a matinee start time locally in the United States, the high expectations provided early fireworks for global combat fans.
Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan both successfully defended their respective championship belts at UFC 333 on October 24, 2026, held at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Volkanovski retained his featherweight title by defeating the previously undefeated Movsar Evloev via a second-round TKO.
In the co-main event, Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili to defend his bantamweight championship. The victory marked Volkanovski's first finish in three years, earning him a $100,000 performance bonus while surpassing Jose Aldo for the most featherweight title fight wins in UFC history.
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