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Ahead of the UFC 331 ceremonial weigh-in on Friday, the top four fighters from October\u2019s UFC 333 will also be on hand.<\/p>\n
That card finally sees Movsar Evloev get his long awaited featherweight title shot, against two-time champ and future Hall of Famer Alexander Volkanovski. The Australian, who will turn 38 later this month, has competed in the UFC for a decade as of this November, and first captured featherweight gold in 2019. After four consecutive successful title defenses, he tried his hand a lightweight, losing a close fight against Islam Makhachev. While their rematch would be more definitive, Volkanovski added a fifth title defense prior to losing his featherweight crown against Ilia Topuria in 2024, only to win the belt back last year, then defend it in back-to-back fights with Diego Lopes.<\/p>\n
While Volkanovski is nearing the end of his run, 32-year old Evloev, a perfect 20-0 in MMA, should have a few more good years left in the tank. The only knock on the former M-1 champion is that all of his fights in the UFC have gone the distance, meaning he hasn\u2019t had a stoppage since 2018. That\u2019s seen Eloev passed over by the likes of Lopes (who he beat) for a title shot, though he\u2019s now made himself undeniable.<\/p>\n
In the co-main event, Petr Yan (current UFC bantamweight champion) and Merab Dvalishvili meet for a third time, with their career series tied at one fight apiece.<\/p>\n
UFC 333 takes place on October 24, 2026 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.<\/p>\n