At 38 years old, Alexander Volkanovski is still defending his UFC title and pushing himself to the limit! The featherweight champion revealed that he refused to take medication, even after the UFC and his team assured him it was allowed. After defeating Movsar Evloev at UFC 333, Volk considers the victory one of his greatest achievements, explaining that every title defense at his age becomes more meaningful.
Alexander Volkanovski says he turned down medication in the lead-up to his UFC 333 title defense, even after the UFC and his own team assured him it was permitted. The featherweight champion made the revelation days after stopping Movsar Evloev in the second round on October 24.
Volkanovski, 38, called the win one of the greatest achievements of his career. He explained that each title defense carries more weight at his age, and that he is still pushing himself to the limit.
The Australian is 29-4 and ranked third in the pound-for-pound standings. Beating Evloev was his third straight title-fight victory in the records. He took unanimous decisions over Diego Lopes at UFC 314 on April 12, 2025, and at UFC 325 on January 31, 2026, before ending Evloev's night inside two rounds. Volkanovski lands 5.99 significant strikes per minute at 57 percent accuracy.
Evloev, 32, entered the bout 20-1 as the division's top-ranked contender. The Russian, who trains at American Top Team, had won his previous two recorded fights: a majority decision over Lerone Murphy on March 21, 2026, and a unanimous decision over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310 in December 2024. His style is built on wrestling, with 4.78 takedowns per 15 minutes and 3.91 significant strikes landed per minute at 47 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- Evloev's only recorded loss came by KO/TKO in the second round, a finish against a fighter who had gone the distance in his two previous title bouts.
- Volkanovski stands six-foot-six in reach terms at 71 inches, one inch short of Evloev's 72-inch reach, and gave up four inches of height-to-reach advantage in neither direction: the two are separated by just one inch in height, 5'6" to 5'7".
- The champion is 38 and continues to defend the belt, and his remarks put his preparation and decision-making under a spotlight.
The result also settles the only meeting between the pair in the records. Volkanovski won by KO/TKO in round two.
