Both champions who topped the UFC 333 fight card successfully defended their belts, but their next moves will likely head in different directions, according to ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski needed only two rounds to finish formerly unbeaten challenger Movsar Evloev. Okamoto suggests Charles Oliveira as the best next opponent, pending Oliveira's defense of the BMF title against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 in December. Such a bout would give Volkanovski a chance to prove himself as a lightweight title contender, since he has said he does not love the idea of jumping the line at lightweight to face Justin Gaethje. A wild card scenario would have Volkanovski face Arman Tsarukyan for the lightweight title if Gaethje walks away after his June win at the White House.
For Evloev, the path back is longer. Okamoto says his first loss puts him in a gatekeeper role for a time, with Pat Sabatini, who is 9-2 in the UFC, as the most obvious next name. Steve Garcia, coming off a loss to Diego Lopes at UFC Freedom 250 in June, is the second-most obvious option.
Men's bantamweight champion Petr Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision to close their trilogy. Okamoto says the biggest available fight is a matchup with Sean O'Malley. O'Malley has lost to Dvalishvili twice, in 2024 and 2025, but has since won two fights, a close decision over Song Yadong and a knockout of Aiemann Zahabi. While those wins may not clearly justify a title shot, Okamoto notes it is hard to argue strongly against O'Malley getting one.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing