Alexander Volkanovski Says Movsar Evloev's Wrestling 'Isn't Enough' Before UFC 333

Alexander Volkanovski is giving Movsar Evloev full credit for his wrestling. He just does not believe it will work against him.

The UFC featherweight champion meets the undefeated challenger in the main event of UFC 333 on Saturday, October 24, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. During fight-week interviews, Volkanovski called Evloev's wrestling among the best in the UFC, then made a much bolder claim: even in a five-round grappling match with no strikes, he believes he would win.

That confidence is the hook for a title fight built around a clean clash of strengths. Evloev has reached his first UFC championship opportunity at 20-0. Volkanovski, now 38, is trying to add another record to a career that already places him beside the greatest featherweights in MMA history.

Volkanovski is not dismissing the threat

Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC appearances, with takedowns and control doing much of the work. MMA Fighting reports that he has landed 49 takedowns in the promotion, including 22 across fights with Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen and Diego Lopes.

Volkanovski described Evloev's wrestling as “incredible,” but said it would not be enough to take his title. His argument is that Evloev will eventually have to create damage, and those moments will give the champion room to escape or force exchanges on the feet.

There is real evidence behind the confidence. Volkanovski has spent years fighting elite grapplers and has lost only three of his 18 UFC bouts. At featherweight, opponents have struggled to hold him down long enough to take over a fight. Evloev's challenge is not simply getting to Volkanovski's hips. It is keeping him there while remaining active enough to win rounds.

The unbeaten challenger brings a different kind of pressure

Evloev does not need a knockout to make a fight miserable. His pace, positional control and willingness to chain one attempt into the next can turn a small mistake into several minutes of defensive work.

That matters over five rounds. Volkanovski may stop the first shot and still have to defend the second and third. If he gives up the fence, Evloev can force him to spend energy standing instead of building his own offense.

The champion's path is clearer but not easy: make Evloev pay for level changes, deny long stretches of control and force him to strike in open space. Volkanovski told UFC.com that he sees himself as a “nightmare matchup” for the Russian. Saturday will show whether that is accurate or whether Evloev's pressure can finally make the champion look his age.

Age is part of the story, not the whole story

Volkanovski turned 38 in September, so retirement questions are unavoidable. He told ESPN that retirement no longer scares him and left open the possibility of fighting at 40, with his health and accumulated damage guiding the decision.

He also predicted that fans could see one of his best performances at UFC 333. That is a serious promise against a 20-0 challenger, but Volkanovski has made a career out of solving difficult matchups. He reclaimed the vacant featherweight title against Diego Lopes in April 2025 and then beat Lopes again in January 2026.

A win over Evloev would give Volkanovski nine UFC featherweight title-fight victories, according to ESPN, moving him one ahead of José Aldo in that category. It would also hand Evloev the first loss of his professional career.

UFC 333 has a simple main-event question

Can Evloev turn his wrestling into sustained control against a champion who rarely accepts bad positions, or can Volkanovski make him fight at a pace and distance he has not faced before?

The odds listed by UFC were even during fight week, which fits the matchup. Volkanovski has the championship experience and the deeper striking game. Evloev is younger, unbeaten and built to force long stretches of physical work.

Volkanovski says the wrestling is not enough. If he is right, UFC 333 could become another late-career statement from one of the division's best. If he is wrong, the featherweight title will leave Abu Dhabi with a new undefeated champion.