Diego Lopes backs Alexander Volkanovski in UFC 333 featherweight title bout

Diego Lopes, a known UFC contender in his own right, has weighed in on the UFC 333 headliner featuring featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski defending his title against undefeated challenger Movsar Evloev. The fight is scheduled for Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, with broadcast on Paramount+.

Volkanovski enters the title bout with a record of 28-4 overall and 15-3 in the UFC, a long run that has made him one of the division’s defining outside-the-cage stories as well as its most consistent performers. He will be fighting as the reigning champion, a role that carries its own pressure even when the opponent remains unbeaten.

Evloev arrives as the perfect kind of opponent to test that consistency. The challenger is 20-0 overall and 10-0 in the UFC, and he has built his case with an undefeated slate that also indicates a high level of comfort at the elite level. In a title fight, that matters because an opponent who has already cleared multiple late-career-style tests can present fewer openings than a first-time challenger often does.

Lopes’s pick matters mostly because it reflects how a fighter with his own experience views the matchup. While styles and training habits vary, a fellow UFC lightweight-and-featherweight-adjacent perspective can help clarify which tactical elements look most likely to decide rounds: the rhythm of exchanges, control phases, and whether the champion can keep a disciplined pace without giving up advantageous positions.

The setting adds another layer. UFC 333 is headlining at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, with the champion and challenger both coming into a championship scenario where gameplanning must be precise. Title fights often turn on small sequences, not just momentary exchanges, and the timing of movement, takedown entries, and late-round adjustments can tilt the result.

As of now, the most important takeaway from Lopes’s comments is that the champion side remains a live option in how the fight is being previewed. That does not diminish Evloev’s undefeated momentum, but it highlights how Volkanovski’s experience and UFC-specific track record continue to influence expectations as the date approaches.

What to watch next is how both camps handle the matchup on the feet and on the mat, particularly if the fight settles into the kind of grappling-and-transitions that can reward patience. In a matchup this late in the build, the champion’s ability to dictate tempo and the challenger’s ability to stay undefeated under title-fight pressure will likely define the early rounds.