{
  "id": 12291658,
  "title": "‘I’m Alex, who still fights’: Volkanovski returns to Abu Dhabi as UFC champion – and a changed man",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/im-alex-who-still-fights-volkanovski-returns-to-abu-dhabi-as-ufc-12291658",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-06T03:02:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/combat-sports/2026/10/06/im-alex-who-still-fights-volkanovski-returns-to-abu-dhabi-as-ufc-champion-and-a-changed-man/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Alexander Volkanovski returns to Abu Dhabi on October 24 as the UFC 333 headline bout, facing Russian Movsar Evloev for his featherweight title. The Australian fighter, now 28-4, has made four previous visits to the UAE, with two of those fights occurring in front of a packed house. Volkanovski expresses excitement for the upcoming card, praising Abu Dhabi's hospitality and the electric atmosphere. However, he also recalls a less favorable experience from three years ago, when he was forced to drop 26.5lbs in just 11 days to compete in a lightweight bout against Islam Makhachev. Despite the grueling preparations, Volkanovski maintains that he has no regrets, citing his unyielding spirit and resilience as crucial elements of his journey to becoming champion.",
  "summary": "Alexander Volkanovski makes his Abu Dhabi return on October 24 as the headline bout of UFC 333. He returns as champion, putting his featherweight title on the line against Movsar Evloev , the Russian who boasts a perfect 20-0 record in professional MMA. “I've had a nice long camp; dieting hard, training hard. It's going to be a great card. Obviously, it's a stacked card, so I can see why…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "‘I’m Alex, who still fights’: Volkanovski returns to Abu Dhabi as UFC champion – and a changed man",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/im-alex-who-still-fights-volkanovski-returns-to-abu-dhabi-as-ufc",
        "published": "2026-10-06T03:02:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}