Pimblett accuses Evloev of quitting as Volkanovski retains featherweight title at UFC 333

Alexander Volkanovski retained the UFC featherweight title with a second-round stoppage of Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, and fellow lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett wasted no time delivering a blunt verdict on the challenger’s performance — accusing Evloev of quitting with just six seconds left in the round.

Evloev, who entered the bout undefeated at 20-0 and had gone 10-0 inside the UFC with every victory coming by decision, was hurt by a flurry of strikes from Volkanovski late in the second round and was stopped before he could reach the bell. The loss, his first as a professional, dropped him to 20-1. Evloev praised Volkanovski in his post-fight interview, but that gracious response did little to soften Pimblett’s critique.

“He’s hurt, he cut him there, he’s bleeding,” Pimblett said in a live reaction video. “It’s over, boom. Volk gets the finish. Evloev quit there, for me. Just rolled over. When there’s five seconds left, you’ve got to keep moving so the fight stays on. You can’t start just covering up.”

Pimblett had correctly forecast before the fight that Evloev’s path to victory would run through his wrestling — and that Volkanovski’s striking would be the decisive factor if the champion kept the contest on the feet. That prediction proved accurate. In Round 1, Evloev did eventually shoot for takedowns, but Volkanovski neutralised the grappling threat without being placed in any seriously compromised positions. By the second round, the champion had clearly begun to pull away.

“Volk’s landing a lot more now,” Pimblett said during his live commentary. “That overhand is working for him. Right behind the ear. That left hook landed there. Volk took over this round.”

Pimblett attributed much of Volkanovski’s striking success to his use of feints, arguing they disrupted Evloev’s timing throughout the fight. “That’s why he’s landing, because of all the feints,” he said. “Making him think he’s going to throw something all the time, so when he actually does throw, he doesn’t see it coming.”

Evloev had built his title credentials by defeating a formidable string of featherweight contenders, including Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, and Diego Lopes. Volkanovski himself had been among those publicly calling for Evloev to receive the opportunity. The result, however, was emphatic — and leaves the question of who challenges Volkanovski next wide open.