Volkanovski claims record ninth UFC title-fight victory — BBC Sport
Alexander Volkanovski defeated Movsar Evloev by technical knockout late in the second round of the main event at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The Australian landed a series of strikes on his opponent on the ground, after which referee Mark Goddard stopped the fight. This was reported by BBC Sport.
For the 38-year-old Volkanovski, this victory was his ninth in UFC featherweight title fights. He surpassed the record of Brazilian Jose Aldo, who had eight such victories. Evloev, 32, suffered the first defeat of his career.
How the main event unfolded
In the first round, Evloev landed more significant strikes and completed more takedowns, although Volkanovski started the fight actively. At the beginning of the second five-minute round, the Australian fighter landed on his opponent and briefly sent him to the canvas.
In the final minute of the second round, Volkanovski landed a right overhand, took top position and continued the attack with strikes. Evloev was unable to defend himself properly, so the referee awarded an early victory to the reigning champion.
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Volkanovski regained the vacant belt in April after losing the title to Ilia Topuria in February 2024. The fight against Evloev was his second successful title defense since regaining the championship belt.
Yan defended title at bantamweight
In the co-main event, Petr Yan defeated Georgia's Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision and defended the UFC bantamweight title for the first time. Yan was behind early in the fight, but in the third round he landed a kick to his opponent's liver area and seized the initiative.
The victory was Yan's 13th at UFC bantamweight. Only Aljamain Sterling and Chito Vera have more victories in this division, with 14 each.
Also at the event, Britain's Lone'er Kavanagh defeated Uzbekistan's Ramazan Temirov by stoppage in the first round. Kavanagh first landed a left hook and then a right hand, before finishing the fight with a series of strikes 32 seconds before the end of the round.
