The Russians will play two championship fights in the UFC. What is important to know about the tournament

The main tournament for Russian fighters UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi will be held on October 24. In total, eight Russian fighters will perform, and four Russians will fight in the main card.

Movsar Yevloev will try to win the featherweight belt, Peter Yan will hold the third fight with Merab Dvalishvili, and Alexander Volkov will meet with compatriot Rizvan Kuniev.

All Russian fights at UFC 333 tournament

UFC Chief Card

Alexander Volkanovski (Australia) — Movsar Evloev (Russia); Peter Jan (Russia) — Merab Dvalishvili (Georgia); Alexander Volkov (Russia) — Rizvan Kuniev (Russia).

Preliminary card

Azamat Murzakanov (Russia) — Dominic Reyes (USA); Nikita Krylov (Russia) — Abdul-Rahman Yahyaev (Turkey).

Early pre-card

Kolby Tickness (Australia) — Asaf Chopurov (Russia); Abubakar Vagaev (Russia) — Jacob Malkun (Australia).

When to watch UFC 333

The tournament will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. According to Moscow time, the battles will begin on October 24 at 17:00, and the main card - at 21:00.

You can watch the live broadcast of the tournament in Russia on Match TV and Match Fighter TV channels. It will also be available on the UFC Fight Pass platform.

What are the chances of Peter Jan to retain the title of UFC champion in the third fight against Dvalishvili

The third match between Russian fighter Petr Yan and Georgian Merab Dvalishvili will be the main event of the tournament. The fight will take place at the lightest weight, and at stake will be the UFC championship belt, which is owned by Jan.

The first fight between the athletes took place on March 11, 2023 at the UFC Fight Night 221 tournament. Dvalishvili won by unanimous decision of the judges after five rounds.

The rematch took place on December 7, 2025 at UFC 323. This time, Jan was stronger: the Russian won by unanimous decision of the judges and won the champion belt in the lightest weight.

Jan before the third match with Dvalishvili professional record - 20 wins and five defeats. In the UFC, he scored 12 wins, seven of which ended in a knockout or technical knockout.

Dvalishvili has 21 victories and five defeats in his professional career. He has three wins by knockout, two by submissive and 16 by the decision of the judges.

Bookmakers are inclined to the victory of the Russian. The coefficient for his victory is 1.45-1.60, for the success of the Georgian fighter - 2.40-2.65, for a draw - 50.00-55.00.

What are the chances of Russian Evloev to defeat the UFC champion

In the main match of the evening, Russian Movsar Evloev will meet with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

For Evloev, this is a chance to win the UFC championship for the first time. He is approaching the fight with a record of 20-0, but has not yet had a single early victory in the UFC. In the Octagon, he held 49 takedowns. In his last fight in March 2026, Evloev defeated Leron Murphy by a majority of referee votes.

If won, Volkanowski will be the sole UFC record holder for the number of featherweight title fights won, beating Jose Aldo (both now have eight wins).

In total, the Australian has 28 victories and four defeats. To the match against the Russian, he comes with a series of two victories. In February of this year, he defeated Diego Lopez by unanimous decision of the judges, defending his title.

Over the past decade, Volkanowski has played 18 fights in the UFC, winning 15 of them. In the featherweight division, he allowed his rivals only ten takedowns, but each of these fights still ended in his favor.

Many UFC stars and experts, including UFC's first double Russian champion Islam Makhachev, see Movsar Yevloev as the favorite for the upcoming fight. But bookmakers estimate the chances of fighters as almost equal. They give from 1.78 to 2.03 for the victory of the Russian, and from 1.81 to 2.05 for the success of Volkanovski.

A duel between two Russians

One of the fights of the main card will be the fight of Alexander Volkov and Rizvan Kuniev. The match will take place in the heavy weight category. Volkov ranks second in the ranking of heavyweights UFC, Kuniev – seventh.

The last fight of Volkov was held on May 9, 2026 at the UFC tournament, where he defeated Valdo Cortez-Acosta by unanimous decision of the judges.

At a press conference two days before the tournament, Wolves, while in the hall, addressed the head of the UFC Dana White. Ironically, calling himself a "starter fighter," he asked how he could achieve a title fight. Behind the joking question was the long-standing and serious annoyance of a fighter who is convinced he has long deserved such a chance.

Kuniev in the previous match on July 25, 2026 met with Tyrell Fortune and won a technical knockout in the third round.

Before the meeting with Kuniev, Volkov’s professional record is 40 wins and 11 defeats. In the asset of the Russian heavyweight 24 wins by knockout or technical knockout, four by submissive and 12 by the decision of the judges.

Kuniev won 14 victories, suffered three defeats and finished one fight in a draw; another match was declared invalid. The Russian won seven victories by knockout or technical knockout, two by submissive and five by the decision of the judges.

In this fight, bookmakers give preference to Volkov. The coefficient for his victory is 1.77-1.80, for the success of Kuniev - 2.00-2.10, for a draw - 50.00-51.00.