UFC 333 is upon us.
In Saturday's main event, Alexander Volkanovski defends the featherweight title against undefeated challenger Movsar Evloev. In the co-headliner, Petr Yan puts the bantamweight belt on the line in a trilogy bout against Merab Dvalishvili.
Here are four key storylines ahead of the UFC's return to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Volkanovski is the gift that keeps on giving
If you had told me that Volkanovski would be defending the featherweight title nearly three years after getting knocked out by Ilia Topuria, I would've called you crazy.
That seemed like the beginning of the end for Volkanovski, but here he is, headlining UFC 333 against Evloev after regaining the belt and rattling off two straight wins against Diego Lopes.
Volkanovski really is the gift that keeps on giving.
This fight against Evloev is surprisingly significant in terms of his legacy. Yes, Volkanovski, 38, is already an all-time great and has largely cemented his status. But if he beats the 20-0 Evloev in the twilight of his career, he has a genuine case to surpass Jose Aldo as the featherweight GOAT.
Aldo had nine straight title defenses (including two in the WEC before the UFC absorbed the promotion), while Volkanovski is seeking his seventh across two reigns. In the UFC specifically, Volkanovski and Aldo are tied for the most title-fight wins in featherweight history at eight. Volkanovski also beat Aldo when they met in the Octagon in 2019.
On top of all of that, Volkanovski would be taking out the No. 1 contender from the generation that came after his. Evloev is in the prime of his career and undefeated for a reason. Volkanovski has notched a bunch of great wins throughout his career, but beating Evloev - given the circumstances - would be one of his most impressive victories to date.
Will Evloev finally reach the pinnacle of the sport?
Evloev took the long road to the top of the featherweight division.
The 32-year-old Russian has been a dark horse at 145 pounds since his UFC debut in 2019, and he's been ranked in the top five for almost three years. But it took him until now to secure his first title shot.
It doesn't help that he fought just once in 2022, once in 2023, twice in 2024, and not at all in 2025. Periods of inactivity delayed his climb, but, at last, Evloev is here. Will he capitalize on the moment by dethroning Volkanovski and finally being crowned the best featherweight in the world?
Who has more to lose, Yan or Dvalishvili?
Yan has more to lose in the sense that he's putting a title on the line. Dvalishvili, on the other hand, doesn't have a belt to lose (because he lost it to Yan already).
But Dvalishvili is at risk of losing two in a row against Yan and getting stuck in title purgatory. Less than a year ago, people were calling Dvalishvili the bantamweight GOAT. Then he dropped the belt to Yan in a clear-cut decision loss at UFC 323 last December.
Even though they're tied at one win apiece, meaning Saturday's trilogy bout is for "all the marbles," it feels like Dvalishvili needs a win quite a bit more than Yan. Even if Yan loses, he could get back into the title picture pretty quickly. I'm not sure if the same can be said about Dvalishvili if he loses again.
Is Pico ready to make a title run?
Hyperbolic as it may sound, Aaron Pico's featherweight matchup against Losene Keita will have an enormous impact on the trajectory of his career.
This feels like do-or-die for the former Bellator star.
Pico's UFC debut was a disaster: He suffered a brutal knockout loss to Lerone Murphy in August 2025. His second appearance was a different story, as he topped former Bellator two-division champion Patricio "Pitbull" Freire via unanimous decision in April. At 1-1 in the Octagon, the difference between a win and a loss against Keita - a highly touted but unranked prospect - is huge.
If he wins, Pico, 30, will be ready to take on a top-five or top-10 featherweight, and he could potentially be on his way to a title shot. But if he loses for the second time in three fights, his UFC tenure might be destined for disappointment.
