Volkanovski chases record ninth featherweight title win — SkimNews
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- Volkanovski will defend his featherweight title against Evloev at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday; victory would earn a record ninth UFC featherweight title-fight win and surpass Aldo.
- Volkanovski took a 14-month absence following his 2024 knockout loss to Topuria, then returned to beat Lopes and reclaim the title before successfully defending it in February.
- Volkanovski owns UFC featherweight’s longest average fight time at 18 minutes, 3 seconds, combining world-class footwork, distance management, boxing and cardio with gritty takedown and submission defense.
- Holloway has a 13-fight UFC winning streak and 2,971 significant strikes, compared with Volkanovski’s 11 and 1,623; Volkanovski leads their head-to-head 3-0 and beat Aldo in 2019.
- Evloev remains undefeated in 20 bouts and on a 10-fight UFC winning streak heading into the title challenge.
- Volkanovski says a champion-versus-champion super fight with UFC lightweight champion Gaethje is the only scenario he has raised for retirement, while his two failed second-division title bids both ended against Makhachev.
- Volkanovski declined to rank himself against Aldo or Holloway, saying belts, title defenses and numbers do not drive him; what drives him is overcoming challenges at 38.
Why it matters: Volkanovski’s win would deliver a ninth UFC featherweight title-fight victory and surpass Jose Aldo, strengthening the historical case built by three wins over Max Holloway and a 2019 victory over Aldo. Evloev’s 20-bout unbeaten record and 10-fight UFC winning streak make this a major test of the champion’s post-loss revival.
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