{
  "id": 16428048,
  "title": "UFC 333: Volkanovski weighs up options as he and Yan retain titles after night of Abu Dhabi brilliance",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/ufc-333-volkanovski-weighs-up-options-as-he-and-yan-retain-titles",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-25T04:21:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/combat-sports/2026/10/25/ufc-333-volkanovski-yan-abu-dhabi/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two champions arrived in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, only to walk away with their title belts still securely wrapped around their waists on Sunday morning. Alexander Volkanovski secured his status as the greatest featherweight of all time with a TKO victory over Movsar Evloev at UFC 333, while Petr Yan retained his bantamweight title with a unanimous decision over Merab Dvalishvili.\n\nVolkanovski had assured his wife he wouldn't leave her on the sidelines, and he kept that promise with a second-round stoppage of Evloev. \"It feels good to get a finish,\" he said. \"I promised her a quick one for her wedding anniversary, so she wouldn't be stressing on the sidelines.\" Evloev, suffering his first defeat in 21 fights, acknowledged Volkanovski's superiority, calling him a \"good one, older, stronger, better, truly a legend.\"\n\nThe bout was billed as a clash between a striker and a grappler, and Volkanovski's wrestling proved more than enough to counter Evloev's attempts. The Russian tried three times in the opening round, but Volkanovski was always ready to reverse the takedowns. In the second round, Evloev resorted to his wrestling once again, but Volkanovski showed cunning, reversing the takedowns and demonstrating he was no slouch on the ground either. With the fight turning into a brutal ground-and-pound battle, Evloev was eventually rendered helpless, and the referee stopped the action.\n\nVolkanovski's win moved him up to the top of the featherweight division, surpassing Jose Aldo's record of nine title defenses. \"I don't really care about this,\" he said, pointing to his belt. \"I just care about overcoming challenges. A guy that was undefeated in front of me, to overcome that and beat him, and again, getting through camps, means so much more to me.\"\n\nThe next question is who Volkanovski will face next. He has no plans to retire, and has suggested he could step up to the lightweight division to challenge Justin Gaethje, with the loser deciding their career is over. Potential opponents at 145 pounds include Jean Silva or the winner of the bout between Aljamain Sterling and Kevin Vallejos. \"I guess we've just got to weigh the options,\" Volkanovski said. \"I'm in a pretty good position, with Dana White saying you can pretty much do whatever you want.\"",
  "summary": "Two champions walked into Abu Dhabi on Saturday. By Sunday morning, both had left with their title belts still wrapped firmly around their waists. Alexander Volkanovski cemented his place as the greatest featherweight in history with a TKO victory over Movsar Evloev at UFC 333, while Petr Yan retained his bantamweight belt with a unanimous decision over Merab Dvalishvili. Volkanovski had promised…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Volkanovski and Yan defend titles at UFC 333",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/volkanovski-and-yan-defend-titles-at-ufc-333",
        "published": "2026-10-24T22:15:57.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}