Islam Makhachev has already shared 10 rounds of chaos with Alexander Volkanovski, so when he talks about Volk’s current level, it is not some random couch-scout take. Ahead of Volkanovski’s UFC 333 title defense against Movsar Evloev, Makhachev is leaning toward the unbeaten challenger and pointing straight at age, mileage, and timing.
The matchup is booked for UFC 333 on October 24, 2026, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, with Volkanovski defending the featherweight belt against Evloev. On paper, that is elite champion versus undefeated grinder. In the cage, Makhachev thinks it may come down to whether Volkanovski can still live at the same ridiculous pace he once used to torture the division.
Watch the interview clip below:
Makhachev Backs Youth Over Championship Mileage
Makhachev did not bury Volkanovski or pretend the guy suddenly forgot how to fight. He called him one of the best fighters around. The needle was sharper than that. Makhachev believes the version of Volkanovski who pushed him to the wire in their first lightweight title fight is not the exact same animal heading into UFC 333.
“[Movsar] knows himself that the fight won’t be easy, that Volkanovski is a tough opponent for anyone,” Makhachev said at a recent presser in Russia. “But I think Movsar will manage with his youth. Volkanovski, honestly speaking, is not at the same peak he was a couple of years ago. Even though he is still one of the best fighters. I think it’ll be a very competitive fight but I hope Movsar will do his job.”
That is a pretty respectful way to still throw a dart. Volkanovski is 28-4, a former pound-for-pound kingpin, and still the kind of fighter who can turn five rounds into a tax audit with leg kicks, feints, counters, and pace. But he has also been through the blender at the very top of the sport. Makhachev beat him by decision in 2023, then knocked him out with a head kick in their short-notice rematch later that year.
Volkanovski has talked openly about the back end of his career, which makes every title defense feel like it comes with a clock ticking somewhere in the arena. That is the weird spot Volk occupies now. He is champion again, still dangerous as hell, but every matchup comes with the same question hanging over it. How much of the old gear is still there?
Evloev brings the opposite kind of headache. He is 20-0, physically fresh by comparison, and built around pressure that can make a clean striking round look like a bad idea fast. He has been circling this belt conversation for a while, including after Volkanovski said Evloev was next after UFC London. The challenger has not shown the same finishing violence that fans crave from a title threat, but undefeated contenders do not need to be pretty when they are winning every positional argument in front of them.
Makhachev’s read makes sense because he has felt Volkanovski at his nastiest. Their first fight at UFC 284 was one of those nights where both guys left with more respect and everyone online got a scoring argument they could recycle forever. The reaction to Makhachev vs. Volkanovski was loud because Volk moved up, looked undersized, and still made the lightweight champion sweat bullets.
Now the problem is different. Volkanovski is not chasing Makhachev at 155 pounds. He is trying to keep the featherweight throne against an unbeaten specialist in Abu Dhabi, while one of his old rivals is basically saying the clock may finally be catching him. That is not trash talk. It is colder than that. It is a man who shared the cage with peak Volk wondering if peak Volk still exists.
