by Jazz Ray
Sunday, Oct 18, 2026On October 24, the UFC heads back to Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with a card full of big names, headlined by Alexander Volkanovski. Here’s a look at some of the night’s two most compelling matchups.
Main Event
Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski puts the featherweight title on the line against Movsar Evloev in what figures to be a tightly contested fight. At the time of writing, Evloev is a narrow -115 favorite. The 38-year-old Australian champion will be making his second defense of the 145-pound belt since winning it back. Volk (28-4) has beaten Diego Lopes in back-to-back fights, first reclaiming the title at UFC 314 and then retaining it in an immediate rematch at UFC 325. Following a loss in 2013, he rattled off 22 consecutive wins, and his only recent defeats have come against elite opposition after moving up a division to face Islam Makhachev (twice) and Ilya Topuria. At featherweight, he’s been nearly untouchable.
Evloev, meanwhile, has never tasted defeat. The 32-year-old Russian sits at a flawless 20-0, and notably, each of his last 10 wins has gone to the judges. Unsurprisingly, the over 4.5 rounds carries a hefty price, ranging from -235 to -275 depending on the sportsbook. His recent résumé includes quality wins over Lopes, Allen, Sterling and Murphy, but he’s never shared the cage with anyone on the level of Makhachev or Topuria. Volkanovski will be the toughest opponent of his career.
Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski puts the featherweight title on the line against Movsar Evloev in what figures to be a tightly contested fight. At the time of writing, Evloev is a narrow -115 favorite. The 38-year-old Australian champion will be making his second defense of the 145-pound belt since winning it back. Volk (28-4) has beaten Diego Lopes in back-to-back fights, first reclaiming the title at UFC 314 and then retaining it in an immediate rematch at UFC 325. Following a loss in 2013, he rattled off 22 consecutive wins, and his only recent defeats have come against elite opposition after moving up a division to face Islam Makhachev (twice) and Ilya Topuria. At featherweight, he’s been nearly untouchable.
Evloev, meanwhile, has never tasted defeat. The 32-year-old Russian sits at a flawless 20-0, and notably, each of his last 10 wins has gone to the judges. Unsurprisingly, the over 4.5 rounds carries a hefty price, ranging from -235 to -275 depending on the sportsbook. His recent résumé includes quality wins over Lopes, Allen, Sterling and Murphy, but he’s never shared the cage with anyone on the level of Makhachev or Topuria. Volkanovski will be the toughest opponent of his career.
Stylistically, this is the classic striker-versus-grappler matchup. Evloev wins with elite wrestling and smothering top control, while Volkanovski has vowed to keep the fight standing and turn it into a striking battle. Responding to Evloev’s claims that he’ll take him down repeatedly, Volkanovski had this to say: “Trust me, your arms are gonna be burning.”
The Pick: Volkanovski to win. This is a major jump in competition for Evloev. Volkanovski may be aging, but he’s shown no signs of decline, and his experience against the sport’s best and in championship fights should pay off. At essentially even odds, back the champ.
Co-Main Event
The co-main event should be every bit as entertaining, as Petr “No Mercy” Yan (20-5) and Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (21-5) meet for a third time with the bantamweight belt at stake. Yan is a -175 favorite. Dvalishvili, 35, took the first fight in 2023 as part of a 14-fight win streak, but Yan got his revenge last December in what remains the most recent outing for both men. Each of those fights went the full distance. In fact, the 33-year-old Yan has gone to the scorecards in eight consecutive fights, and 13 of Dvalishvili’s last 15 have also ended in decisions. As you’d expect, the over 4.5 rounds is heavily juiced at -305 to -350.
In the first fight, Dvalishvili attacked Yan’s heavily weighted lead leg with calf kicks, eventually forcing him to change stances. The rematch played out very differently, with Yan dictating the pace, landing the sharper strikes, shutting down Dvalishvili’s takedown attempts and even getting a few of his own. That loss came in Dvalishvili’s fourth title defense within a 12-month span, and he has since said he didn’t train specifically for Yan and went into the fight hurt.
The Pick: Dvalishvili +145. Yan adjusted after losing the first meeting, and now it’s Dvalishvili’s turn to do the same. In a fight that could easily go either way, we’ll take the former champion at plus money.
