Home / MMA / Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev Predictions & Picks – Volkanovski To Retain Title At UFC 333
Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev Predictions & Picks – Volkanovski To Retain Title At UFC 333
- Volkanovski tipped to retain featherweight title by decision over Evloev
- Volkanovski’s striking accuracy is key factor in his predicted success
- Contest is expected to be fought mainly on the feet, favoring Volkanovski’s strengths
Alexander Volkanovski (Getty Images)
Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev Predictions & Picks
Alexander Volkanovski is tipped to retain his UFC featherweight title by decision.
Volkanovski has a significant striking advantage, and he is a difficult man to take down and keep down – as evidenced when he moved up in weight to face Islam Makhachev.
As long as ‘The Great’ does not spend too much time on his back, he can out-strike Evloev on his way to a decision win.
- Alexander Volkanovski is 13-1 as a featherweight in the UFC
- Alexander Volkanovski shares the record for most UFC featherweight title fight wins with 8
- Alexander Volkanovski has 57% striking accuracy (Evloev 47%)
Alexander Volkanovski Form
Alexander Volkanovski is a two-time UFC featherweight champion with a professional record of 28-4 (13 KOs, 3 Subs).
Volkanovski debuted in the UFC in late 2016 and wasted little time in climbing the ladder, winning six straight fights to earn himself a title shot, beating the likes of Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo along the way.
He completed his rise to the top of the featherweight division in December 2019 when he beat Max Holloway on points to win the title, and when the two men met the following July he beat ‘Blessed’ by decision again.
The 38-year-old Australian continued his reign with a unanimous decision win over Brian Ortega, before knocking out Korean Zombie in the fourth round to set up a trilogy showdown with Holloway in July 2022.
Volkanovski again came out on top, with the judges awarding him a unanimous decision win after five rounds.
‘The Great’ turned his attention to becoming a two-weight champion after that, but came up short as he dropped a decision to Islam Makhachev.
He rounded with a third-round knockout of Yair Rodriguez to retain his featherweight crown, before making another failed attempt to become lightweight champion, suffering a first-round knockout loss to Makhachev in their rematch.
Volkanovski then surrendered the featherweight crown with a second-round knockout loss to Ilia Topuria in early 2024.
He rebounded in April of last year to regain the vacant championship with a unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes, and successfully retained the title when the two men met in a rematch back in February.
Movsar Evloev Form
Movsar Evloev is the number one ranked featherweight contender with a professional record of 20-0 (3 KOs, 4 Subs).
Evloev joined the UFC in 2019 following a successful run with the M-1 Global promotion, and marked his debut year with points wins over Seung-Woo Choi and Enrique Barzola.
He then fought once in 2020, beating Mike Grundy on points, before continuing his UFC win streak in 2021 with points successes against Nik Lentz and Hakeem Dawodu.
The 32-year-old Russian bested Dan Ige over three rounds in his only outing of 2022, and in his sole fight in 2023 he got the better of Diego Lopes, winning by unanimous decision.
Evloev then surged into title contention in 2024 with two notable wins, beating Arnold Allen and former champion Aljamain Sterling on points.
Those victories set up a title eliminator fight with Lerone Murphy in March of this year, and the Russian maintained his perfect record – and landed this title shot – with a majority decision win.
Verdict
Movsar Evloev’s recipe for success has been using his grappling to smother his opponent, but that is an approach that is unlikely to work against Alexander Volkanovski.
We expect the bulk of this contest to be fought on the feet, with Volkanovski out-striking the Russian to secure a decision victory.
We expect the bulk of this contest to be fought on the feet, with Volkanovski out-striking the Russian to secure a decision victory.
Leigh Copson
Sports Editor • 25+ Years Experience, US & Combat Sports Specialist
US sports writer covering the NFL, NBA, NHL, boxing and MMA, with previews, predictions and betting tips across the major American leagues.
During his career at the Press Association and online sports sites including FreeTips and ExpertPicks.com, he has covered some of the biggest sporting events on the planet, including the Super Bowl, the Champions League Final and the World Cup Final.
He has also covered almost every major boxing match and UFC fight card during this time.. His specialist sports are American Football, Basketball, Ice Hockey, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts and Football.