On Oct. 24, Volkanovski looks to make the second defense of his reclaimed featherweight title when he takes on the undefeated Evloev in the main event of UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi. For Volkanovski, it's a chance to add to his already Hall of Fame-worthy legacy and solidify his claim as the best 145-pounder in the world, while Evloev finally gets his shot at a UFC title. But even with so much on the line, both men looked very calm for their first faceoff at the UFC 333 opening press conference on Friday in Los Angeles.

Throughout the press conference, both Volkanovski and Evloev — who briefly trained together many years ago — were highly respectful of each other, and that energy carried through to their first faceoff, where they shook hands and then gestured to the crowd.

The co-main event for UFC 333 is perhaps even more heavily anticipated as Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili look to settle their rivalry in a trilogy bout for bantamweight gold. Dvalishvili is the last man to beat Yan, taking a decision from him in 2023, but Yan got his revenge in December, winning a decision over Dvalishvili and taking the 135-pound belt from him. With so much history between the two of them, things got a little more intense in their faceoff, though nothing untoward occurred.

On Saturday, Van and Pantoja look to settle their rivalry in a flyweight title rematch in the main event of UFC 311. Van wants to prove that the fluke injury from their first encounter didn't make a difference, while Pantoja wants to prove he's still the best in the world. But who will reign supreme?

Ahead of UFC 331, MMA Fighting's Alexander K. Lee and Jed Meshew discuss and debate all the big storylines going into Saturday's event. Topics discussed include whether Pantoja can fend off Father Time or if #VanLife is here to stay, whether or not Arman Tsarukyan needs a big win over Mauricio Ruffy to cement his title claim, the bright spots on the rest of the card, and more.

Catch the UFC 331 preview show video above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

So while he's waiting, Chimaev is preparing to stay busy working with RAF, which includes his showdown against old foe Gilbert Burns on Saturday in Miami, and healing up some nagging injuries. While Chimaev's health has been a huge cause for concern in the past, the Chechen mauler promises that if he needs time off now to deal with those injuries, he won't be gone very long.

“I want to fight,†Chimaev told MMA Fighting on Thursday. “That's why I want to fight. It's not crazy big injuries where you need to be off from sparring. It's just my hands. I punch hard so I always have problems with my hands and I have to fix it.

“It's not going to take a long time but people think Khamzat is not going to fight. If I do break off, it's going to be one or two months. Still going to be doing recovery, training.â€

Chimaev has been very vocal, especially on social media, about booking another fight sooner than later. The UFC has made no announcements but the current rumor is that middleweight champion Sean Strickland is expected to defend his title against Nassourdine Imavov before 2026 concludes.

With the champion tied up, Chimaev turned his attention towards Caio Borralho, who he says accepted his challenge when he was looking for a fight.

“Only Caio [Borralho] wanted to fight, but he had an injury when I asked about October,†Chimaev said. “He said November or December, he will be ready.â€

As far as the title goes, Chimaev obviously wants the belt back after losing a very close decision to Strickland back in May. Chimaev isn't all that concerned about revenge on Strickland as getting the UFC title back again — and he expects to face a new champion when that comes time.

“I would be happy who is the winner if they come back faster Nassourdine or Sean, who is the winner, I want to fight this guy,†Chimaev said. “It's a tough fight. But I go for Nassourdine.â€