Alexander Volkanovski strengthened his claim as the greatest featherweight of all time as he defeated Movsar Evloev inside two rounds at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi.

The 38-year-old became the first opponent to defeat Russian Evloev, unleashing a lethal ground-and-pound combination to earn a stoppage victory in the final seconds of the second round at Etihad Arena.

As Volkanovski unleashed a barrage of punches, referee Marc Goddard waved off the fight as his 32-year-old opponent was unable to defend himself.

With his success, the Australian made history by becoming the first UFC featherweight to win nine title fights, surpassing Brazilian Jose Aldo’s record of eight.

After losing his belt to Ilia Topuria in February 2024, this was Volkanovski’s second successful defence since regaining the vacant title last April.

“He’s a great fighter, and he was undefeated for a reason. I just said I’m the right guy for that job,” said Volkanovski. “I have nothing but respect for him. It feels good to get a finish.

“I’m so blessed. I’m very happy to be where I am and to be able to do what I’m doing in this sport – and choose to do it. I don’t have to. I said if I didn’t take too much damage, we’d probably keep going. So maybe we keep going.”

As each fight brings him closer to the end of his UFC career, Volkanovski embraced the support of the fans inside the arena as he made the familiar walk to the Octagon.

For Evloev, the first title fight of his UFC career – seven years after his debut – didn’t seem to overwhelm him, with the Russian settling into the contest straight away.

The first round was also closer than most expected, with Evloev finishing the round with more significant strikes and takedowns despite the champion’s strong start.

But once Volkanovski turned the screw at the start of the second round, clipping his rival and momentarily sending him to the floor, it seemed only a matter of time before his dominance began to take its toll.

That moment came in the final minute of the round when, after overpowering Evloev with an overhand right, Volkanovski secured top position before producing a finishing sequence.

“He’s like good wine – older, stronger, better. He’s a true legend, I’m grateful for this opportunity to be here,” said Evloev. “This is a great lesson for me.

“I didn’t prove that I am the best. I’m not there yet. Maybe we’ll try again. I need to go home, get some rest and recover from my injuries.

“As I said, Alex is a great champion, and I’m glad to be here to share the cake with him. It’s better to lose to a guy like him than to someone who isn’t as good as him.”

In the co-main event, Russia’s Petr Yan defeated Georgian Merab Dvalishvili in a breathtaking trilogy fight to make a successful first defence of his bantamweight title.

In his first fight since dethroning Dvalishvili last December, the 33-year-old Yan recovered from a sluggish start to defeat his opponent by unanimous decision.

After Dvalishvili made a commanding start to the contest with his relentless intensity, his grip on the fight began to slip when he was caught with an inch-perfect liver kick in the final minute of the third round.

The exchange helped Yan gain momentum and edge the championship rounds in a fight that will be remembered as one of the most technically skilled in the division’s history.

“I usually take a little bit of time to warm into a fight, but in this one, I knew he was eventually going to gas out, so I needed to take the time for him to lose all of his power and lose the fight,” said Yan.

The victory took Yan to 13 wins in the bantamweight division, with only Aljamain Sterling and Chito Vera (14) recording more.

He added: “I am the champion of this organisation. I do not pick fights. The UFC puts the next contender in front of me, and I am ready to fight any of them.

“Give me Song Yadong, King Kong, give me anyone. Just make the weight, and I’ll take you down.”

Earlier in the night, Lone’er Kavanagh reignited his flyweight title ambitions by earning the first stoppage win of his UFC career.

A little over three months after losing to Brandon Royval, the 27-year-old Briton bounced back by handing Ramazan Temirov the first defeat of his UFC career with a stunning first-round finish.

Uzbekistan’s Temirov made an aggressive start, landing cleanly on his opponent during the opening exchanges. However, after biding his time for most of the round, Kavanagh rocked his opponent with a flush left hook before following up with a devastating right hand.

As Temirov stumbled towards the cage, the Londoner sealed the victory with a flurry of downward punches, forcing the stoppage with 32 seconds remaining in the first round.

“We’ve learned from previous mistakes. One of those mistakes was keeping my hands up, so I made sure I had my hands up and made sure I could counter,” said Kavanagh, who is ranked sixth in the flyweight division.

“I’m here for that belt and, respectfully, anyone can get it.”

Shortly after Kavanagh’s win, it was announced flyweight champion Joshua Van would defend his title against Manel Kape at UFC 336 in January.