UFC CEO Dana White says he never has to worry about the safety of his crew when the promotion brings events to Abu Dhabi, as UFC 333: Volkanovski vs Evloev recorded the highest attendance and highest gate for a UFC event in the capital.
Thousands of fans packed a sold-out Etihad Arena on Saturday night for two title fights, and White made it clear that the success was about more than the numbers. He called Abu Dhabi one of the safest places and said it is always wonderful to hold events here.
“Never have I or my staff felt unsafe in Abu Dhabi. Everything here is done so professionally. Every time I am here in this part of the world, I have had a pretty good experience,” said White.
“Tonight was the highest attendance for a UFC event in Abu Dhabi history. Highest gate,” White said. “And over 50 per cent of the fans came from outside the UAE. They spent money to come here, flights, hotel rooms, everything. You want to deliver. You want to have an event like we had on Saturday night.”
Fans who made that journey said the sense of safety was part of the appeal. “I have travelled to fight events in a few countries, and I am always a bit alert at night. Here I wasn’t,” said Abdulla Salimov, from Kazakhstan. “We left the arena late, walked around, took a taxi back to the hotel, and it felt completely relaxed. When you are travelling with family, that peace of mind matters as much as the fights.”
For Ramazan Ahmed, a Russian fan who came to support fellow fighters, access made the decision easy. “We came in a group of 10, and we came from different countries. The UAE is one country that we do not have any problems coming to. The visa is easy for us, and whenever there is an event of such scale, we never miss out.”
Volkanovski retains title
Inside the Octagon, Alexander Volkanovski retained his featherweight title with a second-round TKO of previously unbeaten Movsar Evloev, stopping him with punches at 4:54 and handing the number one contender the first defeat of his professional career.
It was the Australian’s fifth appearance in the UAE capital, and he said it still feels special. “Abu Dhabi is always great. This is my fifth time here in Abu Dhabi. I get treated so well over here. Everyone’s very hospitable, and they show so much respect. I love it here.”
Yan wins the trilogy
In the co-main event, Petr Yan defended his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili in their third meeting, winning a unanimous decision after five rounds, with all three judges scoring it 48-47. Yan trailed on the scorecards early on but took the final three rounds on all three cards to complete the comeback.
The victory was another memorable Abu Dhabi moment for Yan, who first won the bantamweight title against Jose Aldo in the UAE capital during UFC Fight Island in 2020.
“I feel excellent. I am still processing my win, but I feel great and happy to share this moment again in Abu Dhabi,” Yan said. “For me, it was important to get this win for my team, for my family and for my supporters. Thank you so much to all the fans around the world for supporting me.”
More to come
On the main card, Lone’er Kavanagh stopped Ramazan Temirov by first-round TKO, Alexander Volkov earned a unanimous decision over Rizvan Kuniev, and Aaron Pico secured a first-round TKO win over Losene Keita.
White said the next announcement is already being planned. “I plan to have lots of great events here in Abu Dhabi again. We are working on an event right now that will be very unique, and people from all over the world will want to come see. I already started to see renderings of what we could possibly do before I flew to Abu Dhabi. I look forward to announcing that soon.”
The event brought this year’s Abu Dhabi Showdown Week to a close, reinforcing the capital’s position as a leading global destination for MMA and major international sporting events.
Source: Khaleej Times