Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi | October 24, 2026
Alexander Volkanovski cemented his place in UFC history Saturday night at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, stopping the previously undefeated Movsar Evloev by TKO in the second round to record his ninth featherweight title fight victory — one more than Jose Aldo's all-time divisional record. Petr Yan closed the book on his rivalry with Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event, grinding out a unanimous decision across five rounds to retain the bantamweight belt. Abu Dhabi delivered two title defenses, a Fight of the Night thriller, and a card loaded with first-round finishes.
Full Results
| Fight | Winner | Method | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev | Volkanovski | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 4:54 |
| Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili | Yan | Decision (Unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov | Kavanagh | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 4:28 |
| Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev | Volkov | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Aaron Pico vs. Losene Keita | Pico | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 1:14 |
| Azamat Murzakanov vs. Dominick Reyes | Reyes | TKO (Punch) | 1 | 2:40 |
| Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev | Yakhyaev | TKO (Knee) | 1 | 2:38 |
| Abusupiyan Magomedov vs. Cameron Rowston | Magomedov | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 1 | 1:44 |
| Grant Dawson vs. Nurullo Aliev | Dawson | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Colby Thicknesse vs. Asaf Chopurov | Thicknesse | Decision (Split) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Jacob Malkoun vs. Abubakar Vagaev | Vagaev | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Bolaji Oki vs. Daniel Santos | Santos | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Kody Steele vs. Noah Gugnon | Steele | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 3:54 |
| Iasmin Lucindo vs. Nicolle Caliari | Lucindo | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
Main Event: Volkanovski Makes History
The first round was competitive and hard to score. Evloev leaned on his elite wrestling early, shooting for takedowns and keeping Volkanovski honest on the feet. The champion answered with sharp counter-punching and steady footwork, neutralizing Evloev's grappling attack and frustrating the challenger's game plan.
The second round was a different story. Volkanovski timed Evloev midway through, dropping him with a right hand to the temple, then following with an uppercut and a left hook that buckled the challenger's knees. A short right hand through Evloev's guard put him on the canvas, and referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight with six seconds left in the round at the 4:54 mark.
The result ended Evloev's 20-fight unbeaten run and handed the 32-year-old his first professional loss. The win pushed Volkanovski to nine UFC title fight victories at 145 pounds, surpassing Jose Aldo's previous record. He revealed afterward that he had been sick leading into the fight. "It's all good, it's a part of the game. I started getting sick, I was like, 'It would've been too easy if I wasn't sick,'" he said at the post-fight press conference. On his opponent: "He was undefeated for a reason. I just said, 'I'm the right guy for that job.' Nothing but respect to him, but yeah man, it feels good to get a finish." Volkanovski earned a Performance of the Night bonus and called out Justin Gaethje for a super fight.
Co-Main Event: Yan Closes the Trilogy
Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili spent another 25 minutes together in the Octagon, bringing their combined series total to 75 minutes across three fights. Their bantamweight title trilogy bout earned Fight of the Night honors for both men, with all three judges scoring it 48-47 in Yan's favor.
Dvalishvili set the pace from the opening bell with relentless forward pressure — he threw 47 takedown attempts across the five rounds with only five landing. Yan absorbed the early storm, defended the vast majority, and stayed patient. The fight turned from round three onward. Yan landed a hard body kick that hurt Dvalishvili and steadily imposed his boxing through the championship rounds, leaving Dvalishvili bruised and unable to match Yan's output by the final horn.
"I knew that he was going to pressure forward; I knew that he was going to throw a million takedowns at me," Yan said after the fight. "I realized that the second I was going to be able to defend those, he was going to break." Yan goes 2-1 against Dvalishvili and finishes the series as champion.
Notable Prelim Finishes
Dominick Reyes scored the night's most dramatic prelim result, stopping Azamat Murzakanov with a head kick and follow-up punches at 2:40 of round one in their light heavyweight bout. Murzakanov had gone 17-0 before a loss to Paulo Costa earlier this year; Reyes finished him faster. Post-fight, Reyes called for a fight with Paulo Costa or Khalil Rountree Jr.
Lone'er Kavanagh earned Performance of the Night by stopping Ramazan Temirov at 4:28 of round one in the flyweight main card opener. Temirov entered on a 12-fight win streak and was shut out entirely before Kavanagh turned him over with punches.
Aaron Pico added another statement finish on the main card, stopping Losene Keita at 1:14 of round one with punches.
Bonus Awards
- Performance of the Night: Alexander Volkanovski ($100,000)
- Performance of the Night: Lone'er Kavanagh ($100,000)
- Fight of the Night: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili ($100,000 each)
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