Anik On Evloev's UFC 333 Championship Hopes

UFC commentator Jon Anik believes Movsar Evloev faces a now-or-never scenario at UFC 333.

Evloev challenges Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title Saturday in Abu Dhabi, and Anik told MMA Fighting the unbeaten Russian may not get another crack at the belt if he falls short. The fight comes after Evloev stretched his UFC record to 10-0 with a decision over Lerone Murphy in March, extending his professional streak to 20 fights without a loss.

Depth At 145 Makes Second Chances Rare

Anik pointed to the loaded state of the featherweight division as the reason Evloev cannot afford a setback. "I think when you look at bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight, they are so loaded that it really is hard to get multiple championship opportunities," he said. Even a first career loss would push Evloev behind emerging contenders like Jean Silva, who Anik described as title-shot worthy, and Aljamain Sterling, who sits on the fringe of contention ahead of his next bout.

The commentator expects Evloev's offensive wrestling and physical durability to define the matchup, but questioned whether the challenger can inflict sustained damage on a champion who outweighed him by 69 pounds during Volkanovski's rugby days. Anik said he thought Volkanovski swept all 10 rounds across two fights with Diego Lopes and noted the Australian's mastery of feints, stance switches, and clinch control.

Volkanovski reclaimed the featherweight strap by defeating Lopes at UFC 314 in April 2025 after Ilia Topuria vacated, then defended it against Lopes again at UFC 325. UFC 333 also features a bantamweight title trilogy between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event.

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• MMA Fighting — Jon Anik weighs in on if UFC 333 is do-or-die for Movsar Evloev’s championship hopes