Muin Evloev vs. Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili are both targeted for a UFC event in Abu Dhabi on October 24. The Evloev–Volkanovski bout is a title fight and is set to serve as the co-main event.
Two high-stakes matchups are being targeted for a UFC event in Abu Dhabi on October 24, though neither bout has been officially confirmed. According to reports, Muin Evloev will challenge featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the co-main event, while Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili are set to collide in a bantamweight title fight on the same card.
Alexander Volkanovski, 37, carries a 28-4-0 record into the reported co-main event. The Australian champion, ranked third pound-for-pound, fights out of Freestyle Fighting Gym and brings some of the most refined striking in the division — landing nearly six significant strikes per minute at a 57 percent accuracy rate. Standing five-foot-six with a 71-inch reach, "The Great" has long been regarded as one of the sport's elite featherweights.
Petr Yan, the 33-year-old bantamweight champion from Russia, holds a 20-5-0 record and fights out of Archangel Michael Club. Known as "No Mercy," the switch-stance fighter lands 5.12 significant strikes per minute at a remarkable 54 percent accuracy, making him one of the more precise volume strikers in the 135-pound division.
His reported opponent, Merab Dvalishvili, enters as the top-ranked bantamweight contender and the number-two pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The 35-year-old Georgian, who fights out of Serra-Longo Fight Team, has built his reputation on relentless wrestling pressure — averaging 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes — while also contributing 4.33 significant strikes per minute on the feet. His 21-5-0 record reflects a fighter operating at the absolute peak of the division.
Why it matters
- Volkanovski defending featherweight gold keeps the 145-pound title picture in sharp focus
- A Yan–Dvalishvili bantamweight title fight pits the champion's precision striking against the contender's elite grappling volume
- Both bouts carry significant pound-for-pound implications, with Volkanovski ranked third and Dvalishvili ranked second globally
- The card would represent one of the stronger non-numbered UFC events of the year if finalized
