Celebrity spottings at UFC fights are common, but during UFC 333, it was tennis’ time to take center stage ringside at the Etihad Arena. Clad in a beautiful white dress, former World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was in attendance in Abu Dhabi, with the Belarusian often being picked up by the camera during breaks between fights.
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Sabalenka was quite close to the action ringside, enjoying her night in the VIP area, sitting right behind the UFC president, Dana White. That was not the only president; the four-time Major champion was spotted on the night, as the current World No. 2 was also seen sharing a photo with Mauricio Macri, the former president of Argentina, who was also at the Etihad Arena.
As for the occasion, Sabalenka could not have chosen a better night to attend a UFC fight. The fight card was stacked, with two great title bouts to end the night. The first one was between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title, a fight which was won by Yan in a grueling five-round exchange. The fight saw the final battle in the duo’s trilogy, with Yan gaining supremacy over his opponent with consecutive victories, having beaten him in their last fight in December 2025.
If that was not enough, Sabalenka was in for a treat with the main event, which saw 38-year-old Alexander Volkanovski make new pages in the record books for himself after his knockout win against Movsar Evloev. The result added another feather to the Australian MMA legend’s cap, making him the most title-bout wins in the featherweight division and taking him past Jose Aldo. Not to mention, Volkanovski was the first to put down Evloev, who had been unbeaten in his twenty career fights so far.
The night also saw other significant victories for the likes of Alexander Volkov and Dominic Reyes, both of whom made strong statements despite being past their haydays. As far as Sabalenka is concerned, this is not the first time that the Belarusian has attended other sporting events. Back in 2024, the World No. 2 was seen in the F1 paddock, visiting the Alpine F1 team’s garage, with Sabalenka having the time of her life as she got into racing suits to experience it firsthand.
A break from the tennis courts would do well for Sabalenka, who has had a mixed season so far in 2026. The Belarusian won three titles and has reached two Grand Slam finals this year, but has also lost her No. 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina and has lost six matches to players outside the Top 20, with three of them outside the Top 30 at the time of the match.
Sabalenka’s last matches were during the Asian swing, which did not go well for her, as the Belarusian had a 1-2 record across the China Open and the Wuhan Open, losing to the likes of Nikola Bartunkova and Ann Li. However, she has one last event to play in 2026 at the WTA Finals, as the former World No. 1 will look to end the season strong.
Aryna Sabalenka Will Look to End the Season Strong at the WTA Finals
Qualifying for a sixth year in a row for the WTA Finals shows the dominance that Sabalenka has had over the sport in the last few seasons. She has come close to winning the year-ending championships, losing to the likes of Caroline Garcia and Elena Rybakina in the finals of 2022 and 2025, respectively. Her potential battle against Rybakina will be an exciting prospect for fans, as the Kazakh beat Sabalenka in two Major finals this year and began her ascent from the WTA Finals last year.
The venue will also add to the drama, as the WTA Finals is all set to take place in Indian Wells for a one-off edition in 2026. Sabalenka won the WTA 1000 title back here in March this year, beating Rybakina in the final after saving championship point against her nemesis. Given that the venue holds happy memories, the Belarusian will look to replicate her performance from earlier this year.
While the WTA Finals will officially end the Tour for Sabalenka in 2026, the former World No. 1 is already in line for exhibition events. Sabalenka announced her participation in an exhibition event at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, South Korea, for an exhibition event named “The Six”, which will see other stars like Rybakina, Mirra Andreeva, Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka, and Jasmine Paolini join the Belarusian in a star-studded lineup from December 25-27.