Alexander Volkanovski defended the UFC featherweight championship Saturday, defeating Movsar Evloev by second-round TKO in the UFC 333 main event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
In the co-headliner, Petr Yan topped Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision to retain the bantamweight title in their trilogy bout.
Here are four takeaways from the event.
Volkanovski is the featherweight GOAT
I never thought I'd rank someone above Jose Aldo in the featherweight GOAT conversation, but I'm finally ready to admit Volkanovski is the guy.
(At the very least, he's officially neck and neck with "The King of Rio.")
Volkanovski's win against Evloev was one of the most impressive performances in some time. The 38-year-old marched into the Octagon against an undefeated contender whom many, understandably, expected to have the upper hand because he was 32 and in the prime of his career.
Yet Volkanovski made it look easy, getting on top of the Russian wrestler and pummeling him with ground-and-pound until referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.
Evloev said it himself in his postfight interview: Volkanovski is like fine wine. He might be getting better with age.
Volkanovski passed Aldo for the most title-fight wins in UFC featherweight history (nine), and now the two all-time greats are tied for the most successful title defenses in the division (seven). Aldo has the edge, though, if you count his three additional title-fight victories in the WEC, a promotion later absorbed into the UFC.
But when you consider Volkanovski's level of competition, I think he takes the cake. He's beaten the best fighters from the generation before him: Aldo, Chad Mendes, and Chan Sung Jung. He's beaten the best fighters from his generation: Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, and Yair Rodriguez. And now he's beating the best fighters from the generation after him: Evloev and Diego Lopes. Volkanovski's longevity should be studied in a lab, especially since lighter weight classes have historically favored younger fighters. All of this makes him not only the greatest featherweight, but one of the greatest fighters of all time, period.
Yan, Dvalishvili could fight 100 more times and fans would watch
What isn't there to say about that co-main event?
The third meeting between Yan and Dvalishvili had it all - an extremely high pace, action from start to finish, and a major shift in momentum. It'll certainly be on the shortlist for Fight of the Year in December, and I could watch these two fight every week without getting bored. It's like they were made for each other.
The latest, and likely final, chapter in their rivalry was a tale of two fights. Dvalishvili delivered one of the best performances of his career through the first two rounds, overwhelming Yan with pressure and takedowns. For a moment, it seemed as if he was on track for a victory reminiscent of their first battle in March 2023.
But Yan, as he almost always does, made adjustments and came alive in the championship rounds, stuffing Dvalishvili's takedown attempts with ease and landing significant damage on the feet. His punches and kicks to Dvalishvili's body were especially brutal. In the final moments of the fifth round, Yan battered Dvalishvili and left no doubt he'd get his hand raised.
Based on their last two fights, it feels like Yan at least somewhat has Dvalishvili's number. At the same time, Yan and Dvalishvili are 1a and 1b in the bantamweight division, and I'd never say no to a fourth - or even fifth - fight.
Volkov deserves a heavyweight title shot, but will he get one?
Alexander Volkov has done enough to earn a crack at the heavyweight championship. He cruised past Rizvan Kuniev on Saturday to pick up his third straight win, and he's beaten other top contenders like Sergei Pavlovich and Waldo Cortes-Acosta. His only loss in the last four-and-a-half years was also a controversial decision to current champion Ciryl Gane.
At 38, Volkov won't be around forever. Now is the time to see whether he can finally become the world's top heavyweight.
However, here's the reality: If UFC CEO Dana White barely recognizes you at a prefight press conference, you'll likely have to work harder than others to earn a title shot.
With a big fight between Pavlovich and former two-division champion Alex Pereira coming up at UFC 325 in December - and the possibility that a rematch between Gane and Pereira emerges from that - Volkov's chances of being next in line aren't guaranteed despite his strong case.
Pico is ready for a big step up
Aaron Pico proved he's ready for a big fight after running through Losene Keita.
The former Bellator and PFL fighter is one of the best featherweights in the world when he's on, and he was definitely on at UFC 333. Pico scored an early takedown before rocking Keita on the feet and finishing him by TKO just 74 seconds into the fight - a picture-perfect performance.
Although his UFC debut didn't go as planned in August 2025, Pico has shown with back-to-back victories over Keita and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire that he's ready to face a top-five or top-10 opponent and begin his ascent in the division.
