Two UFC titles were on the line Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and neither changed hands. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and men’s bantamweight champion Petr Yan each successfully defended their belts in the UFC 333 main and co-main events.
Volkanovski held off previously unbeaten challenger Movsar Evloev, dropping him with a clean left in Round 2 and following up to secure a second-round TKO in the main event. The finish preserved Volkanovski’s featherweight title.
In the co-main event, Yan completed a comeback in the rubber match with Merab Dvalishvili. Yan lost the first two rounds according to all three judges, but rallied in Round 3 and won each of the remaining rounds on all three judges’ scorecards to claim the victory. The bout marked the 20th trilogy in the promotion’s history.
Other fighters on the UFC 333 main card also earned major results. Lone’er Kavanagh, Alexander Volkov and Aaron Pico each recorded consequential victories on the card, contributing to a night of decisive finishes and pivotal decisions.
Brett Okamoto, Jeff Wagenheim and Dre Waters provided a breakdown of the action from UFC 333, covering the title defenses and other significant outcomes from the event.
