One month after his 38th birthday, it wouldn't be disrespectful or out of place to describe two-time UFC featherweight champion and living legend Alexander Volkanovski as old school.
Throughout his second reign as champion, which began when Volkanovski (28-4) bounced back from a pair of stoppage defeats to capture the vacant 145-pound title against Diego Lopes in April 2025, the native of Australia has seemingly been the only elite featherweight openly campaigning for a fight against top contender Movsar Evloev (20-0).
Even when UFC chose to pass over the 32-year-old Evloev in February, when Volkanovski defeated Lopes even more efficiently in their rematch at UFC 325 (despite the fact that Evloev owns a 2023 win over Lopes), Volkanovski used his post-fight interview to welcome the next contender in line.
That opponent officially became Evloev, a native of Russia, after he traveled to London and outlasted fellow unbeaten Lerone Murphy in his backyard for an exciting majority decision win in March that set up Saturday's UFC 333 main event in Abu Dhabi, where Volkanovski looks for the second defense of his second title reign.
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"I think that's how it should be," Volkanovski told CBS Sports last week. "There is a responsibility being champ. That's just how I have always been and how I always will be. We all know the UFC and people are going to play the game. We know what the UFC wants and even what the crowd wants. You can see that. People want wars and for you to be more exciting. I feel like it's just different from how it used to be. People may want to protect their legacy and find better fights for them.
"For me it's just, if you are the best, fight who is the best. It is that simple. At the end of the day, we want to be exciting. I get that. But let's see who is the better fighter."
To be fair, injuries and canceled fights played just as big a role in Evloev having to wait for his shot as did his perceived lack of marketability and the fact that he has yet to record a finish in 10 trips to the Octagon. But his recent resume has been strong enough -- with wins over Dan Ige, Lopes, Arnold Allen, former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and Murphy -- that he enters his first title shot at basically even money to defeat one of the most skilled and decorated champions the sport has ever seen.
With a win on Saturday, Volkanovski would surpass Brazilian legend Jose Aldo (whom he defeated in 2019) for the most featherweight title wins in UFC with nine and equal Aldo's record of seven title defenses at 145 pounds. But he must first deal with one of the most fit and strong opponents on his resume, Evloev, who has abstained from refined sugar for the last three years and brings a well-rounded skill set.
Volkanovski, already the third-oldest fighter behind Daniel Cormier and Randy Couture to defend a UFC title, has openly talked about how much respect he has for Evloev's gas tank and the fact that, as an unbeaten contender, he simply hasn't learned how to lose yet. But that doesn't mean the typically humble and respectful Volkanovski believes – despite the betting odds and his advancing age – that Evloev is anywhere near his level.
'The Great' has been around the UFC for a decade 📈 Alexander Volkanovski aims for another ruby on the belt with a win! [ #UFC333 | SAT OCT 24 | 2pmET | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/9zf3KnB0ce
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) October 21, 2026
"[Evloev] is not going to wilt, and he has shown he can be there for the 25 minutes. But that's with people I feel like he has shown a little bit more control with," Volkanovski said. "I will give him the respect that maybe he can aim for 25 minutes [against me], but I don't think so. That's against fighters that aren't Alexander 'The Great' Volkanovski."
Volkanovski believes that Evloev proved against Murphy, thanks to how easily he took him down in the later rounds, that he could've controlled the fight with his ground game, but gave in to the pressure to be exciting in order to secure a title shot by striking for long stretches on his feet. To be fair, Evloev was also docked a point in Round 4 for a low blow, which only added to the urgency needed in order to assure he secured the win.
When it comes to the wrestling prowess of Evloev, Volkanovski welcomes it with open arms.
Not only does he believe he proved in a disputed decision loss to Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in 2023 that he can deal with the takedown threat of any opponent, Volkanovski said the path to victory on Saturday has much more to do with how he will be able to execute offensively than anything his opponent can bring to the table.
Without the perceived knockout threat that Lopes brought to their two fights or the unorthodox striking game of Yair Rodriguez, whom he finished inside of three rounds just three years ago, Volkanovski doesn't believe Evloev brings enough danger to the matchup to give him any pause in coming forward.
"I know we all say this and I have said this in plenty of my fights where I believe I will get a finish or whatnot, but I believe I will be in his face," Volkanovski said. "If he wants to try to take me down, come and try. But I'm going to be right there, in your face, putting hands on you. I just feel like he won't be able to keep up with me.
"He does have a very well-rounded game, and he has a game where he can push for 25 minutes and he can throw a lot of problems at you but all of those problems that he can give most people, they are just not problems for me. I just know the type of fighter I am and what I can handle."
Volkanovski said he has had to adjust to less overall training time with age, but he refuses to dial back the intensity he brings to each session, and he said he can still hold his own with anyone of any age or background in the gym.
By splitting time throughout his pro career between coach Joe Lopez of Freestyle MMA in Australia and Eugene Bareman of New Zealand's renowned CityKickboxing Gym, Volkanovski has created one of the most complete skill sets the sport has ever seen.
"What makes him special is that I don't think he's by any stretch of the imagination, anywhere near the top half of talented athletes that I've ever had involvement with," Bareman told "She Loves The Gloves" ahead of Saturday. "But hard work, commitment, dedication, a desire to get better will outwork and beat talent every single day. Through sheer determination and grind, [Volkanovski] has turned himself into that talent.
"To me, he's our generation's version of GSP [former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre]. If you think about what he can do, he can mold the fight into wherever he needs to go to beat the opponent."
Volkanovski, who won his first 12 UFC bouts and once held a 22-fight win streak overall at his peak, has lost just once in 14 trips to the Octagon as a featherweight (in a second-round knockout to Ilia Topuria in 2024). And he doesn't see that changing after Saturday where he has outright predicted a stoppage of his unbeaten foe.
"I always say that the only way I see myself losing is if someone catches me, especially in this division," Volkanovski said. "Someone beating me for 25 minutes, I think is impossible. Let's see how this goes. I'm looking to go out there and do this in wild fashion. It's going to be exciting because it's going to be on the feet. And it's going to be on the feet because I'm going to make it on the feet. There's no way you can take it to the ground and even if you do, I'm getting straight back up and I'm going to force you to fight on the feet. You bring your best game and try whatever you want because it's going to be where I want it to be."
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