Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan cemented GOAT status in their respective divisions at UFC 333

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UFC 333 turned out to be an epic card that culminated with two of the greatest MMA fighters of all time proving why they are the best to ever do it in their weight classes, with big wins by Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan in the final two fights of the night.

In the main event of UFC 333, Volkanovski knocked out previously undefeated Movsar Evloev to defend the UFC featherweight title and prove that he’s not only the best featherweight in the world today, but the best to ever do it at 145 lbs.

The same can be said about Yan, the UFC bantamweight champion, who beat Merab Dvalishvili in their trilogy bout at UFC 333 that cemented his status as the best at 135 lbs.

Related: UFC 333 predictions for Volkanovski vs. Evloev

Two amazing performances by two great fighters, and we are here to give these two amazing fighters their flowers.

Petr Yan had another outstanding performance at UFC 333.Jeff Bottari / Getty Images

Alexander Volkanovski is the UFC Featherweight GOAT

With the win over Evloev, Volkanovski broke the UFC record for the most featherweight title wins in UFC history with nine, breaking the deadlock he had with UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo, the other man that many fans and analysts consider the best to ever do it in the weight class.

I, too, love Aldo, but I think Volkanovski has surpassed him as the featherweight GOAT.

What makes Volkanovski so special, to me, is the fact that he has had not one, but now two runs as the UFC featherweight champion, and he’s done so against a different crop of fighters.

During his first reign, Volkanovski beat the likes of Aldo and Chad Mendes to earn a title shot, then beat Max Holloway three times, Yair Rodriguez, The Korean Zombie, and Brian Ortega to defend his belt.

Those were the best featherweights at the time, and even though Volkanovski did eventually lose his belt against Ilia Topuria, he’s rebounded nicely since then, to say the least.

In his second title run at 145 lbs, Volkanovski has beaten Diego Lopes twice and now Evloev, who was a whopping 20-0 before he stepped foot into the cage with the 38-year-old Aussie legend.

Again, the fact that Volkanovski has beaten the best of the best in his weight class across two different eras of the sport puts him firmly in the driver’s seat as the best to ever do it at 145 lbs.

Sorry, Aldo and Holloway, but Volkanovski has taken the featherweight crown.

And the crazy thing is, Volkanovski isn’t done yet, as he looked absolutely amazing against Evloev, and now he has potential featherweight title defenses against Jean Silva, Aljamain Sterling, and Kevin Vallejos to look forward to, not to mention a potential superfight up a weight class against UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

Petr Yan is the UFC Featherweight GOAT

What I said about Volkanovski having two separate title runs at 145 lbs applies to Yan down at 135 lbs as well, and it’s also why I think the Russian has cemented his place as the best bantamweight ever.

During his first title run, Yan had to get past Urijah Faber to get the title shot, then he beat Aldo to win the belt.

Yan lost the belt in his first title defense against Sterling in what is still the only DQ in a UFC title fight ever.

Admittedly, Yan struggled through a bit of a rough patch in his career after that, losing a couple of close, controversial split decisions along the way.

But he battled back to reclaim his belt against Dvalishvili last year, and now he’s defended it against his long-time rival to win their bantamweight trilogy 2-1.

At age 33, Yan still has plenty of good years left in the tank, and there is no reason he can’t add more title defenses to his already-stacked resume.

While some considered Dvalishvili the best bantamweight ever before he fought Yan, the fact that Yan beat him twice proves he’s better.

The only competition that Yan has is Dominick Cruz, but as good as the UFC Hall of Famer Cruz was, I think Yan is the better fighter.

Both Volkanovski and Yan are absolutely incredible fighters, and MMA fans are lucky that we get to see these two men compete.

They won’t be around forever, so savor them for as long as they are still here.

Related: UFC Title Belts That Could Change Hands Before the Year Is Over

This story was originally published by Lindy's Sports on Oct 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Other Sports section. Add Lindy's Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.