Volkanovski Stops Evloev in Two Rounds

Alexander Volkanovski ended his fight with Movsar Evloev in the second round. The victory secured the UFC 333 featherweight title for the champion, who had previously been unbeaten. Evloev, who entered the bout with a perfect record, absorbed the loss to close his undefeated streak.

The event took place on October 25, 2026. Both top contenders on the card retained their belts. Volkanovski defeated Evloev via stoppage. Petr Yan secured a unanimous decision victory over Merab Dvalishvili to complete their trilogy. These results set up immediate discussions regarding future matchups for the winners and losers.

Volkanovski is now looking toward the lightweight division. He could face Charles Oliveira next. Oliveira is scheduled to defend the BMF title against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 in December. A fight between Volkanovski and Oliveira in 2027 would position the winner as a serious contender for the 155-pound belt. Volkanovski told ESPN in September that he did not like the idea of jumping the line at lightweight to fight Justin Gaethje, especially with Arman Tsarukyan as the clear challenger.

A wild card scenario for Volkanovski involves Arman Tsarukyan. If Gaethje decides to retire after his victory in June, Tsarukyan holds the next in line position. The UFC has informed Tsarukyan that he is next. If that slot opens up, Volkanovski could move directly into a title shot against Tsarukyan.

Petr Yan faces a different path. He beat Dvalishvili by unanimous decision to close their three-fight series. Yan is now expected to fight Sean O'Malley. O'Malley holds a victory over Yan from 2022, which was a close and competitive fight. O'Malley has gone 2-0 since his losses to Dvalishvili in 2024 and 2025. Those wins include a close decision over Song Yadong and a knockout of Aiemann Zahabi. Song also has a strong case for a title shot, as he beat O'Malley in January.

Merab Dvalishvili is coming off his second consecutive loss. He waited ten months for his trilogy bout with Yan. Dvalishvili is likely to seek a quick return. The most logical opponent is Umar Nurmagomedov. Their first fight at UFC 311 in January 2025 was named fight of the night. Nurmagomedov broke his hand early in that bout, and Dvalishvili fought through injuries during camp. Nurmagomedov is expected to return by January, before Ramadan begins in February. Payton Talbott is another potential opponent, offering a big jump in competition for the 28-year-old.

Aaron Pico, another winner at UFC 333, is targeting Jean Silva. Pico defeated Patricio Pitbull in April. A matchup with Silva would be a significant step up in rankings. Silva is currently moving to lightweight to fight Charles Oliveira in December. Pico has a history of suffering devastating finishes, making this a high-risk bout. Youssef Zalal is a wild card option for Pico. Zalal, 30, signed with the UFC in 2020, went 0-3, and was cut in 2021. He returned to win five in a row before losing to Aljamain Sterling in April.