Volkanovski and Evloev reveal shared training past ahead of UFC 333 featherweight title clash

Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev will meet for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 24, but the two fighters have a shared history that predates their championship collision — a training camp encounter from years ago that both men still remember.

Evloev, who enters the fight undefeated at 20-0, recalled the session taking place when he was still competing at bantamweight and had yet to sign with the UFC. At the time, Volkanovski had just fought Chad Mendes and was preparing for a bout with Jose Aldo — a period that would mark the beginning of his rise to the top of the 145-pound division.

“We just had a couple of rounds and yeah, we trained at the same gym before,” Evloev said. “He had just fought with Mendes and he was about to fight with Aldo.”

Volkanovski confirmed the memory but made clear it holds no tactical relevance now. “I do remember us training, it was a long time ago,” he said. “You can’t go off training sessions then. As he said, he would have been young. All I worry about is how he’s been looking in his last few performances.”

Now in his second reign as featherweight champion, Volkanovski has suffered just one defeat at 145 pounds — a loss to Ilia Topuria — before rebounding with back-to-back title fight wins over Diego Lopes. At nearly 38, he insists his best is still ahead of him, at least for this fight.

“I truly do believe after this fight, people will be saying, ‘That’s one of Alex’s best performances we’ve seen,’” Volkanovski said.

Evloev, for his part, is actively demanding that version of Volkanovski show up. The Dagestani fighter, who most recently earned a majority decision win over Lerone Murphy in March, wants to silence any post-fight narrative that diminishes his achievement.

“I’m expecting him to be at this level that when I beat him, nobody will say he’s not like before,” Evloev said. “I want him to be in his prime, in the best condition, so I can show my skills.”

Despite the mutual respect — Volkanovski described Evloev as “a good dude” with shared connections in the fight community — both men made clear that sentiment ends when the octagon door closes in Abu Dhabi. “Come Oct. 24, we’re going to go handle business,” Volkanovski said, “and I plan on showing him that I’m the man.”