Alexander Volkanovski returns to Abu Dhabi as UFC champion — and a changed man

Alexander Volkanovski is returning to Abu Dhabi as UFC featherweight champion, but the fighter arriving at Etihad Arena this month says he is no longer defined entirely by what happens inside the octagon.

The Australian will headline UFC 333 on October 24, defending his featherweight title against undefeated Russian contender Movsar Evloev, who enters the fight with a perfect 20-0 professional record.

It will be Volkanovski’s fourth time competing in Abu Dhabi — a city connected to both major victories and one of the most difficult periods of his career.

Volkanovski returns to Abu Dhabi

Volkanovski says he is looking forward to competing again in the UAE capital, where he has consistently felt strong support from local fans.

The 38-year-old has spent months preparing for Evloev, combining an intense training camp with the strict diet required to make the featherweight limit.

The fight will represent his sixth title defence across two championship reigns and another major chapter in a career that currently stands at 28 wins and four defeats.

Abu Dhabi already occupies an important place in that story.

His second fight against Max Holloway took place in the capital during UFC 251 in 2020, when the city became home to the UFC’s Fight Island events during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But his most recent appearance in Abu Dhabi ended very differently.

The Makhachev defeat changed everything

In 2023, Volkanovski accepted a lightweight title rematch against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi after Charles Oliveira withdrew through injury.

He accepted the fight with just 11 days to prepare and later revealed that he had to lose 26.5 pounds in that short period to reach the 155-pound limit.

Makhachev stopped him in the opening round with a head kick.

Despite the result, Volkanovski says he does not regret accepting the fight.

Taking difficult challenges at short notice has always been part of his personality, he explained, and removing that mentality would mean changing one of the qualities that helped make him champion.

The more significant moment came afterwards.

During an emotional post-fight press conference in Abu Dhabi, Volkanovski spoke openly about struggling during periods when he was not training or competing.

Looking back now, he believes being willing to talk publicly about that experience ultimately helped him.

‘I’m Alex, who still fights’

For much of his career, Volkanovski admits his identity revolved almost completely around fighting.

Training camps demanded total discipline and intense focus, leaving little space for anything outside the pursuit of becoming the best fighter possible.

Today, he describes his outlook differently.

Rather than seeing himself primarily as a fighter, he says he now feels like “Alex, who still fights.”

For Volkanovski, that distinction represents an important change.

He believes elite athletes sometimes become so focused on achieving their goals that they can temporarily lose part of themselves in the process.

His message to younger athletes is not to abandon that ambition, but to understand the importance of preserving some balance alongside it.

A 14-month break helped him reset

Four months after losing to Makhachev, Volkanovski suffered another knockout defeat against Ilia Topuria, losing his featherweight title.

After two difficult defeats, questions emerged about whether one of the UFC’s most successful champions was approaching the end of his career.

This time, Volkanovski chose patience.

He stepped away from competition for 14 months, allowing himself to recover physically and mentally rather than rushing back into another fight.

The break became one of the most important periods of his career.

He spent more time with his family, watched his children play sport and rediscovered parts of everyday life that had disappeared during years of constant competition.

When he eventually returned, the results followed.

Champion again after two Diego Lopes fights

Volkanovski returned to face Diego Lopes and produced two composed five-round performances.

The first victory allowed him to reclaim the UFC featherweight championship. The second saw him successfully defend it.

Rather than looking like a fighter diminished by two knockout defeats, Volkanovski once again displayed the skills that had defined his championship years — striking, distance management, movement and tactical control.

Now he arrives in Abu Dhabi with the title around his waist again.

But he believes the biggest difference is what happens when training finishes.

Family and cooking bring balance

Away from MMA, Volkanovski has increasingly turned to another passion: food.

His Cookin’ with Volk content has attracted more than 2.25 million followers and subscribers across Instagram and YouTube, giving fans a different view of the UFC champion.

Barbecuing is a particular favourite.

For Volkanovski, cooking outdoors over charcoal is about more than preparing food. It gives him an opportunity to spend time with friends and family and enjoy an experience completely removed from competition.

He has also spent time learning from professional chefs, turning food content into another growing part of his personal brand.

Despite its success, he says it rarely feels like work.

That separation has become an important part of the balance he once struggled to find.

An undefeated challenger awaits

There will be little room for relaxation when Volkanovski enters Etihad Arena.

Evloev is regarded as one of the featherweight division’s strongest wrestlers and has yet to lose a professional MMA fight.

In his most recent appearance, the Russian chose to spend significant periods striking against Lerone Murphy rather than relying primarily on his grappling.

Volkanovski believes Evloev may have felt pressure to produce a more entertaining style, but he wants his challenger to arrive in Abu Dhabi using his strongest weapons.

The champion says he wants to face the best possible version of Evloev, particularly because fans are interested in seeing how his own game holds up against the Russian’s elite wrestling.

A different Volkanovski returns to Abu Dhabi

Three years ago, Volkanovski left Abu Dhabi following one of the hardest defeats of his career.

He returns in 2026 as champion once again.

But the title is only part of what has changed.

At 38, Volkanovski says he has learned how to step away from constant fight mode, spend meaningful time with his family and separate his identity from his career.

On October 24, he will once again become the competitor Abu Dhabi knows well when the cage door closes.

Outside it, however, he now sees himself differently.

Not simply Alexander Volkanovski the fighter — but Alex, who still fights.