Volkanovski TKO Evloev in second round to retain UFC

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski turned back the clock once again, scoring a brutal finish of Movsar Evloev to retain the title in the UFC 333 main event.

The TKO stoppage occurred at 4:54 of the second round on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Volkanovski had Evloev reeling with two huge punches before gaining the upper hand and finishing him ground and pound in the final seconds of the round.

Volkanovski handed Evloev the first defeat of his professional career, with Evloev falling to 20-1.

“He’s a great fighter,” Volkanovski said of Evloev in his post-fight interview. “He was undefeated for a reason. I just said I was the right man for the job. Nothing but respect for him. But yeah, it feels good to finish.”

With the victory, Volkanovski surpassed Jose Aldo for the most title fight victories in UFC featherweight history (nine). He is also tied with Aldo for the most successful title defense in division history (seven).

Volkanovski has defended the belt twice since reclaiming the belt in a vacant title fight against Diego Lopes at UFC 314 in April 2025. The 38-year-old Australian was coming off a unanimous decision victory in a rematch with Lopes at UFC 325 in January.

Volkanovski’s first reign lasted from December 2019 to February 2024, when Ilia Topuria knocked him out in the second round at UFC 298. But Topuria vacated the belt less than a year later to move up to the lightweight division, paving the way for Volkanovski to become champion again.

Volkanovski, widely considered one of the greatest fighters of all time, has hinted he will likely return to the Octagon after his latest victory.

“I said if I didn’t take too much damage we’d probably continue, so maybe we’ll continue,” Volkanovski said.

Evloev earned a title shot with a majority decision win over Lerone Murphy at UFC London in March. The 32-year-old Russian now sits at 10-1 inside the Octagon.