How does a fighter know when to stop when they're fighting well?
It's a question that, unfortunately, rarely gets answered in MMA. For every athlete who retires from the sport on their own terms, there are at least two athletes being retired by the sport. It is rare for a fighter to go out on a win, and infinitely rare for a fighter to go out on top.
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (28-4) is starting to look that question in the face. Volkanovski will look to defend his title at UFC 333 on Saturday against 32-year-old Movsar Evloev (20-0) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Volkanovski, 38, already is defying the rules of Father Time. In April 2025, he became the first fighter older than 35 to win a UFC championship belt in a weight class under 170 pounds. He defended that title in January against 31-year-old Diego Lopes.
In the past, Volkanovski has been dismissive, even comedic, of his age, starring in self-deprecating "Old Man Volk" skits on the internet. Ahead of UFC 333, however, he's been discussing age far more seriously, saying that any fight moving forward could be his last.
"There's a reason this is not often done," Volkanovski told ESPN. "I will bring up [my age], because I think it adds to the story. A lot of people are thinking about it. The young, undefeated guy -- facing the old, 38-year-old."
Evloev, of Russia, is one of the most proven title challengers in featherweight division history, with a perfect 10-0 record inside the Octagon, but he hasn't finished a single UFC opponent. He is a slight underdog against Volkanovski, according to DraftKings -- a credit to how good Volkanovski has looked, as well as lingering doubts on Evloev's ceiling.
Volkanovski, a two-time champion who suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria before regaining his title in 2025, told ESPN he believes he will actually look better than ever on Saturday, due to Evloev's style. The undefeated challenger is known primarily as a position-focused grappler, who might struggle to match Volkanovski's striking and scrambling ability.
"His style is a perfect matchup for me, I truly believe that," Volkanovski said. "I'm not delusional, saying I'm the best I've ever been at age 38. I'm not in my prime. But stylistically, I think you guys will be saying, 'I swear this is the best Volk we've ever seen.'"
Even if that is the case, odds say Volkanovski is tempting fate with every performance from this point forward. Male UFC fighters 38 and older have won 37% of their bouts all time, according to ESPN Research. Volkanovski has acknowledged as much and even proposed a "sendoff" title fight against 37-year-old lightweight champion Justin Gaethje next, after which they would both retire.
Volkanovski has stated he's taking it one fight at a time, but he is talking about retirement now, which shows he understands the decision is in front of him.
"One hundred percent, if I notice I'm slowing down or I'm taking more damage, [I'll retire]," Volkanovski said. "I said that before my last fight, too. A lot of people look at me saying that and say, 'Look how he's talking, his head isn't in it.' I'm just real and I'm honest. I said it before my last fight, and what happened? I went out there and made it look easy."
More storylines to watch
Dvalishvili looks to prove the last fight was an outlier
Merab Dvalishvili attempted to make history at the end of 2025, when he fought Petr Yan in his fourth men's bantamweight title defense of the calendar year. The feat has never been accomplished -- or even attempted -- and it proved to be too much as Dvalishvili lost a five-round decision. He later revealed he went into the bout with a significant knee injury and had a terrible camp. Dvalishvili (21-5) will try to recapture his title against Yan (20-5) in the UFC 333 co-main event.
Although he's admitted to tough circumstances around their last meeting, Dvalishvili has also said he doesn't regret pursuing UFC history and won't use those circumstances as an excuse, crediting Yan for the victory.
But the fighters' shared history has obviously raised the stakes for this Saturday. Dvalishvili and Yan have met twice, with Dvalishvili dominating their first meeting in March 2023. If Yan wins the trilogy, against a much fresher version of Dvalishvili than he saw in December, it could push Dvalishvili toward the back of the line for another title shot.
Not the last chance, but kind of the last chance
Not to put unnecessary pressure onto Aaron Pico's shoulders, but the truth is that any type of loss to Losene Keita -- a promising talent who is only 1-1 in the UFC -- would have heavy, long-lasting implications.
Pico, 30, has won 10 of his past 12 fights, but this is still a crossroads. He's been viewed as championship material since before his professional MMA debut, but has endured violent, memorable setbacks at various points in his career, including a spinning back elbow knockout loss to Lerone Murphy in his UFC debut 14 months ago. There is still massive potential in Pico, and he had an impressive bounce-back win against Patricio Pitbull in April, but he's in a risky position this weekend. He faces a dangerous but relatively unknown opponent in Keita after his original opponent, Arnold Allen, was forced off the card. Saturday's outcome will go a long way in determining how matchmakers and fans view him moving forward.
Coaches' questions and predictions for the title fights
Can Evloev significantly control Volkanovski on the ground?
Evloev is good everywhere, but Volkanovski has such an ability to game plan and show up in the big moments. Evloev is super big and strong. He has good standup, great transitions and ground control. But Volkanovski was able to get up after being taken down by Islam Makhachev. Are we just gonna forget that? Islam is now a welterweight. Volkanovski is so intelligent and so good at finding ways to exploit guys. His fight IQ is as good as anyone I've ever watched. He showed it against Lopes in their rematch in January. If Evloev cannot control Volk on the ground for long periods of time, Volkanovski will win a decision. And with the modern emphasis on damage when it comes to scoring, judges don't want to see you unsuccessfully try to hold someone down. Volkanovski by decision. -- Sayif Saud, Fortis MMA
Will age catch up to Volkanovski?
The biggest X factor is that unknown: At what point does Volkanovski's age slow him down? He's fighting one of the purest wrestlers/grapplers in the UFC in Evloev. I could see Evloev trying to prove he can stand with Volkanovski at times and win over the UFC, but I don't think that would be his smartest decision. Personally, I believe that "Old Man Volk" still has it. He's proven time and again he's going to win those key wrestling scrambles, and I believe he'll end up catching Movsar. It will be a grinder of a fight, but Volkanovski's experience being in there with bigger, stronger guys like Islam will pay off. Volkanovski by TKO. -- John Wood, Syndicate MMA
Can Dvavishvili hurt Yan with his hands?
We know that Yan has the physicality to compete with Merab's wrestling. He didn't avoid the takedown in their last fight -- he actually got more takedowns than Merab. That's a fact. And Yan on the feet is so dangerous, you have to give his standup the edge. If he comes in in great shape and can counter-wrestle and have the same physicality he did in December, he can win. The biggest technical question is whether Merab can create enough offense to get inside and hurt Yan with his hands. If the wrestling gets shut down, can he create offense? If Merab can hurt Yan on the feet, that changes the whole fight and throws it in favor of Merab. I've got Yan winning by a slight edge. -- Saud
Who will control the resets?
Yan needs to control the range, punish Merab's entries and continually invest in the body. He needs to establish the center and force Merab to initiate his wrestling from a distance, and intersect those entries with straight punches, body shots and uppercuts. I'd like to see him keep that lead arm frame, to establish his underhooks right away with his wrestling defense. He doesn't need to eliminate the takedown attempt, but he does need to make Merab pay for every failed attempt. Merab, meanwhile, has to weaponize pace, create chaos and disrupt Yan's comfort. He has to chain together multiple takedown attempts, so that even failed attempts affect Yan's rhythm. Who will control the resets? Merab thrives when one attack becomes three or four; Yan thrives when he's able to reset and return to technical striking. I lean Yan by decision again. --Eric Nicksick, Xtreme Couture