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UFC 333 Preview: Two Title Fights in Abu Dhabi, and What Trainees Can Learn

UFC 333 on October 24 has Volkanovski vs. Evloev and the Yan–Dvalishvili trilogy. A pre-event look at the tactical questions in both fights and what they teach people who train.

By MartialQuest Staff · · 4 min read

Close-up of Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC octagon, smiling with short wet hair and a beard, wearing a black UFC glove with red wrist tape, shirtless after a fight at UFC 316.
Public domain. U.S. federal government work (photo by Margo Martin, Executive Office of the President, taken in an official capacity at UFC 316, June 2025).

UFC 333 arrives in Abu Dhabi this Saturday, October 24, with two championship fights at Etihad Arena. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski defends his belt against the undefeated Movsar Evloev in the main event. Bantamweight champion Petr Yan meets Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event, a trilogy fight that the two men enter tied at one win each. The Yan–Dvalishvili bout is scheduled for five rounds, as is the main event.

This post was written before the event, so it doesn’t predict winners or report results. What makes the card worth a look for people who train is that both fights set up a clear tactical question. Can a fighter who wants to wrestle and control the pace force the other man to fight on his terms, or can the other man keep it standing and make that hard?

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Researched with the help of AI and reviewed by the MartialQuest team before publishing.

Sources

  1. UFC 333 preview: Volkanovski-Evloev & Yan-Dvalishvili trilogy (Sherdog)
  2. UFC 333 countdown: One night, two title fights and a trilogy to be decided in Abu Dhabi (The National)
  3. 'I'm ready for a 25-minute war': Dvalishvili relishing UFC 333 trilogy with Yan in Abu Dhabi (Arab News)
  4. The Bantamweight Trilogy Is Tied — Yan Defends the Belt He Took From Merab (Athlon Sports)
  5. UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev (UFC.com)
  6. UFC 333 Countdown: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3 (Yahoo Sports / MMA Weekly)