UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev Predictions & Betting Odds

It’s been about a month since our last proper UFC pay-per-view at UFC 331. But we’re back in a big way for UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, with two championship fights on the docket to cap off Saturday’s main card, which gets started bright and early over here in North America at 11 AM ET and 8AM PT.

The headliner and final fight of the night will see featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski trying to beat someone other than Diego Lopes for the first time since July 2023 as he looks to defend his hard-won belt against Movsar Evloev, a steely-eyed undefeated challenger from, you guessed it, Mother Russia. They sure know how to breed fighters over there don’t they?

Will Evloev take the first loss of his professional MMA career? Or will Volkanovski cede his featherweight belt to an up-and-coming and undefeated challenger–again? Read on for our tale of the tape, break down, fight prediction, and the latest UFC betting odds for the scrap!

UFC 333: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev Featherweight Main Event Bout - October 24 - 11 A.M. EDT

All odds provided by Powerplay.

Tale of the Tape:

Category	Alexander Volkanovski	Movsar Evloev
Height	5’6” (1.68 m)	5’7” (1.70 cm)
Weight	145 lbs (66 kg)	145 lbs (66 kg)
Reach	71.5” (182 cm)	71.5” (184 cm)
Age	38	32
Nickname	The Great	N/A
Fighting Stance	Orthodox	Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed/Minute	5.99	3.91
Strikes Absorbed/Minute	3.31	2.80
Takedown Average	1.63	4.78
Takedown Defense	69 %	61 %
Current Ranking	Champion	No. 1
Fighting Out Of	Windang, New South Wales, Australia	Sunzha, Ingushetia, Russia

Fight Analysis & Prediction

(C) Alexander Volkanovski vs. No. 1 Movsar Evloev Featherweight Championship Main Event Betting Odds

Fighter	Moneyline	Spread	Rounds	Win by Decision	Win by KO/TKO/DQ	Win by Submission	Go the Distance
Alexander Volkanovski	-110	-5.5 (+195)	O4.5 (-280)	+190	+400	+2,000	Yes (-245)
Movsar Evloev	-110	+5.5 (-260)	U4.5 (+210)	+145	+950	+1,100	No (+185)

Alexander Volkanovski (28-4) reclaimed his featherweight belt in a war against Diego Lopes last year. And because that fight was so good, they had to do a rematch, which Volkanovski won again. That means he hasn't fought anyone else since February 2024 and hasn’t beaten anyone since Yair Rodriguez in the summer of 2023.

Movsar Evloev (20-0), meanwhile, has been rolling against the cream of the crop at 145 pounds. The 32-year-old is 10-0 in the UFC, but it’s those last five that are truly impressive: Dan Ige, Lopes, Arnold Allen, former bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling, and a previously undefeated Lerone Murphy. That’s a murderer’s row of featherweights, and apart from Murphy, Evloev dispatched them all comfortably in unanimous decisions.

Against Murphy, the Russian did a little more stand-up boxing work than he usually likes to do. But he represented himself well in that arena, which makes him extremely tough considering he’s already got elite wrestling skills. That’s not a typo, he does average nearly five takedowns per 15 minutes in the UFC.

Volkanovski will be able to hold Evloev off early, but we don’t think he’ll have the gas tank to stop Evloev from eventually getting him to the ground in the later rounds and winning this one on ground control time.

Volkanovski is getting on in years, and we think that extended period without preparing for anyone but Lopes will leave him extra rusty. Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC fights by decision, so we’ll go for the extra juice there.

Best Bet: Movsar Evloev to Win via Decision (+145)