Alexander Volkanovski ahead of UFC 333: ‘I always get a lot of love in Abu Dhabi”

Dubai: The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Abu Dhabi this weekend with a spectacular fight card at the Etihad Arena, headlined by a featherweight title clash.

Few fighters will be as familiar with the venue as Alexander Volkanovski, who returns to the UAE capital to defend his championship against undefeated Russian contender Movsar Evloev in the main event of UFC 333.

Saturday night will mark the third time Volkanovski steps inside the Octagon in Abu Dhabi, and the Australian is heading into the bout full of confidence as he prepares to put his featherweight title on the line once again.

“It’s been a nice long training camp,” said the Aussie.

“I’ve been training really hard as you can imagine and I’m just super excited to get inside the cage again.”

Volkanovski's journey to the top of the featherweight division saw the Australian beat Max Holloway to claim the title for the first time in 2019, before successfully defending his crown in two more fights against Holloway.  

However, his reign came to an end in February 2024 when he was knocked out by Ilia Topuria at UFC 298.

After taking 14 months away to recover, Volkanovski returned in April 2025 to defeat Diego Lopes by unanimous decision and reclaim the vacant featherweight belt, before beating the Brazilian again in January 2026 to successfully defend his title.

Now, he faces a different kind of challenge in Movsar Evloev, the undefeated Russian boasts a 20-0 professional record and is renowned for his elite wrestling.

“Obviously when I train I prepare for all outcomes, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say we have focused a lot on wrestling in this camp,” said Volkanovski.

“I plan on him not being effective with the wrestling so he’s going to have to strike with me, but even them awkward strikers, you’ve got to make sure you’re ready for them.”

At 38, Volkanovski is a veteran of the sport and while the Australian insists he feels great physically and remains confident in his abilities, he acknowledges that age is an unavoidable factor in a sport as demanding as the UFC.

The Aussie went on to say he is choosing to take his career one fight at a time and focus on what lies immediately ahead rather than looking too far into the future.

“We’re playing it pretty much each fight as it goes," explained the champion.

“If I take crazy damage, I’ll probably pack it in but my last fight went well, I had no damage, so I plan on doing the same this time.”

Abu Dhabi holds mixed memories for Volkanovski, who has experienced both the highs and lows of competing in the UAE capital.

The Australian defeated Holloway at UFC 251 in 2020 to retain his featherweight title, but suffered a first-round knockout loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in 2023.

Despite those contrasting experiences, Volkanovski is happy to be back, revealing that he always receives plenty of love from the local fans and is looking forward to stepping into the Octagon in Abu Dhabi once again.

“It’s always good in Abu Dhabi,” he said.

“I always get a lot of love there, everyone is so respectful and I get treated very well so I’m glad I get to return and put on a show.”

It's set to be a stunning night of UFC action on Saturday with the co-main event featuring Petr Yan defending his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili.

The main card also features several intriguing match-ups, including British flyweight Lone’er Kavanagh against Ramazan Temirov, heavyweight contenders Alexander Volkov and Rizvan Kuniev, and featherweights Aaron Pico and Losene Keita, ensuring plenty of action before the headline title fight.