Volkanovski Promises Wild Finish of Unbeaten Evloev at UFC 333
The featherweight champion says he will stop the 20-0 challenger in pretty wild fashion at UFC 333.
Alexander Volkanovski is brimming with confidence ahead of his featherweight title defense against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 on October 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The champion told MMA Junkie he expects to stop the unbeaten challenger, predicting he will get the job done "in pretty wild fashion."
"I believe I can get a finish. I believe I can do it inside five," Volkanovski said. "A lot of people are going to go say after this fight, 'Is that the best Volk we've ever seen?'"
Volkanovski (28-4) has been one of the most dominant featherweight champions in UFC history. He first won the title from Max Holloway in 2019 and defended it five times before losing to Ilia Topuria in 2024. He regained the vacant belt from Diego Lopes after Topuria moved up to lightweight, per Sherdog, and has since defended it successfully.
Evloev (20-0) brings a perfect record into the biggest fight of his career, but a notable stat hangs over his title shot: all 10 of his UFC wins have come by decision. The Dagestan native has leaned heavily on wrestling and control, a style that has drawn criticism from fans who want to see more action.
Evloev is not apologizing for how he fights. "I have zero finishes in UFC, but I'm still in the UFC and I'm fighting for the title," he told MMA Fighting. He added that fans can "see the beauty of wrestling" and argued that not every fight fan is just waiting for blood.
Volkanovski is unconvinced that Evloev's grappling can carry him through five championship rounds. "Trying to outgrapple me for 25 minutes, I can't see it," he said, suggesting the challenger's best chance would be catching him with a strike.
Look, Movsar Evloev is 20-0 and that is impressive. Full stop. But there is a difference between being unbeatable in the regular season and stepping into a championship fight against a guy like Volkanovski. Volk has seen every type of fighter in the world and dealt with all of them.
Evloev is going to try to wrestle his way to a decision, and that works against most guys. It does not work against the best takedown defender in the division who also happens to be one of the smartest fighters alive. I think Volk is telling the truth when he says he sees a finish here. Evloev has never been in deep water, never had to fight from behind against elite pressure for 25 minutes. When that happens, and it will, the cracks are going to show.
I am picking Volk by TKO in the championship rounds. Evloev earns my respect for making it there. He just will not leave with the belt.
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