One way or another, history will be made at UFC 333. Maybe more than once.
First, you have Alexander Volkanovski, facing the classic combat sports conundrum of getting older while competing only gets younger and hungrier. “The Great” has done it all in his career and has nothing left to prove, other than maybe he deserves to be placed even higher on the list of all-time greats than he already is.
He couldn’t have dreamed of a more convincing challenge than that of Movsar Evloev. The undefeated Evloev battled inactivity and a lack of fan-friendly highlights to earn his chance, going 10-0 in the UFC and knocking all other competitors out of his way. At a distance or on the cards, winning is winning, as a wise man once said.
Then there’s Petr Yan, once hanging on the edge of the title picture by a thread, now back in his place in the greatest bantamweight discussion of all time. All he had to do was defeat three ranked opponents, then put in the performance of his life last December to avenge a past defeat and become champion a second time.
The man he beat, Merab Dvalishvili, can restore order and cement himself as the 135-pound GOAT if he wins his series with Yan. Dvalishvili might have flown too close to the sun in 2025, attempting to become the first UFC fighter to successfully defend a title four times in a calendar year; now, with 10 months to rest, recover and evolve, can he return to his crushing habits and embark on another dominant run?
Elsewhere on a stacked main card, Lone’er Kavanagh and Ramazan Temirov jockey for position in an increasingly crowded flyweight division, Alexander Volkov looks to keep his heavyweight title hopes alive when he takes on Rizvan Kuniev, and Aaron Pico takes on short-term replacement Losene Keita in a scorching featherweight opener.
Or: Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday October 24. The five-fight preliminary card begins at 10 a.m. ET, followed by a four-fight preliminary card at 12 p.m. ET. The five-fight main card begins at 2 p.m. ET with the entire event streaming live on Paramount+.
(Numbers in parentheses indicate position in the MMA Fighting World Rankings and pound-for-pound rankings)
Alexander Volkanovski (1, P4P-5) vs. Movsar Evloev (2, P4P-19)
For the first time in a long time, I can say with certainty that Alexander Volkanovski’s time is up.
All credit goes to Volkanovski for silencing the doubters time and time again and for never hesitating in wanting to give Movsar Evloev an opportunity. It’s not an unwinnable fight for the revered Volkanovski, as his overall game remains as sharp as ever, and what’s more, he survived the Islam Makhachev fight and lived to tell about it. Keep him on his feet, box Evloev and live to fight another day as champion.
In defending Evloev, I want to put to rest the idea that his lack of finishing somehow makes him less of a championship threat. Look at his most recent wins: Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes, Dan Ige, heck, add Hakeem Dawodu in there. Which of these fighters is easy to finish? These are some of the toughest takedowns at 145 pounds, so yes, while we would have loved to see Evloev mark his No. 1 contender status by outright sidelining one of these names, it’s not essential.
When it comes to Evloev’s skills, his clearest path to victory is obviously pinning Volkanovski down, choking him against the fence, simply wearing the older fighter out for 25 minutes. That said, and I could be kidding myself, I think that Evloev finds his first result here. Volkanovski is hit. Lopes caught him. Makhachev and Ilia Topuria knocked him out. When Evloev throws, he’s got some punch in his shots, and it only takes one good shot to make Volkanovski’s chin wobble these days.
So yes, I’m counting on Volkanovski. Again. And I’m ready to look stupid. Again. Give me a new face at the top, and Volkanovski is one step closer to a well-deserved retirement.
Petr Yan (1, P4P-2) vs. Merab Dvalishvili (2, P4P-10)
I hate to hold back Petr Yan’s incredible performance in their rematch, but did we really see the best version of Merab Dvalishvili that night?
Look, I’m a man of science – and Xyience, obviously – and I can say with 90% confidence that losing weight and preparing for four title fights in 12 months can’t be good for you, even if you have Dvalishvili’s freakish physical and mental conditioning. Then you remember the fourth was against Yan, a guy who might just be the best ever at 135 pounds and already had five sets of data to work with. Worry.
Yan denied Dvalishvili in every round in their second fight, never letting Dvalishvili reach that extra gear that broke so many challengers. Unsurprisingly, Yan got the better of the majority of the striking exchanges, demonstrating once again that he is, pound for pound, one of the best strikers in all of MMA. I don’t see a scenario in which Dvalishvili would win standing, even if his stand-up skills have improved.
Where Dvalishvili excels is in relentlessly mixing up his techniques and, yes, frustrating his opponents with his wrestling whether against the fence or on the ground. His main goal is to give his opponents no room to breathe, let alone think. This is how he beat Yan the first time and it’s a repeatable strategy, albeit with some adjustments.
At best, I lean slightly toward Dvalishvili, but not for a second do I think either fighter will have a comfortable lead on the cards this time around. We might even take a trip to Splitty City. I hope not, but I think we will be in for a close decision, one that could potentially result in a fourth meeting later.
Lone’er Kavanagh (8) vs. Ramazan Temirov (12)
Speed versus power? That’s how Lone’er Kavanagh sees it and who am I to disagree?
Kavanagh, 27, has been swimming with the sharks since his third UFC fight, when he received a rude awakening from Mr. Spoiler himself, Charles Johnson. He followed that up with a career-best performance against two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, then had to retire in the third round of a hard-fought battle with another elite veteran, Brandon Royval. Ramazan Temirov is closer to Kavanagh in terms of octagonal experience, but arguably just as dangerous as those other standout players.
Outside of Manel Kape, Temirov might be the scariest puncher at 125 pounds. He’s blessed with one-punch knockout power and he’ll be looking to land a hammerlock before Kavanagh can establish any rhythm. I think Kavanagh has learned a lot from his last three fights, even if it’s just that there are levels to it. Now it’s his turn to teach a version of that lesson to Temirov.
Watch for Kavanagh to stay and move for three rounds, mix martial arts and outlast Temirov en route to another impressive decision victory.
Alexander Volkov (4) vs. Rizvan Kuniev (9)
I’ll be honest, Alexander Volkov did not become the People’s Champion on my bingo card. But here we are, as much of the community has rallied around the fact that Volkov was robbed of a heavyweight title shot after years of fighting top-10 opponents.
Rizvan Kuniev is the scariest type of up-and-coming heavyweight in that he does stuff. This may seem like low praise, but in this division, being busy and pushing the pace immediately separates you from the pack. Ciryl Gane, Josh Hokit, and Gable Steveson are the names that come to most fans’ minds when talking about athletic heavyweights, but I feel like Kuniev goes unnoticed in these discussions. He always shows up and looks to engage and he has the cardio to drown Volkov with volume for 15 minutes.
Maybe I just need to see more of Big Riz, but I still think Volkov has the advantage in striking and wrestling. He’s one of the few giants we’ve seen in MMA who actually knows how to use his reach advantage (he’s not amazing at it, but better than Stefan Struve, to put it mildly), and that length should prevent Kuniev from simply taking him down without repercussions. He is unlikely to be knocked out, but if the fight were to go down, the more experienced Volkov could pose some problems for Kuniev.
Full disclosure, this is as much of a hopeful pick as anything else, because it would be a real shame if Volkov never received his UFC title shot. I expect Kuniev to be a contender for years to come, so let tonight be Volkov’s night as he comes out on the right side of a hard-fought decision.
Aaron Pico (12) against Losene Keita
I’m going to say it: I don’t believe in Aaron Pico, more measured and more mature. Even though he had a great performance in three rounds against Patricio Pitbull, the berserker is still there. And Losene Keita is the kind of opponent who can bring him out.
If I’m wrong, then I’ll be happy, because we need more fighters like Pico and if he has learned to consistently channel his aggression and prodigious skills into a well-rounded approach to the game, even better. What worries me here is that he arguably found himself in an even more dangerous situation with Keita stepping in to replace the injured Arnold Allen, who was the perfect opponent to move Pico up the rankings and give him a few more high-profile rounds. Keita is more willing to risk everything to make a statement.
Call it a draw, but I’ve seen Pico get completely desperate too many times to trust him, especially against a guy whose only remote loss was due to a freak leg injury. Keita strikes first, gets the knockout and wins an additional $100,000 bonus.
Azamat Murzakanov (9) def. Dominique Reyes (11)
Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Nikita Krylov
Cam Rowston def. Abu Magomedov
Nurullo Aliev def. Grant Dawson
Asaf Chopurov def. Colby Thickness
Abubakar Vagaev def. Jacob Malkoun
Daniel Santos def. Bolaji Oki
Kody Steele def. Noah Gugnon
Iasmin Lucindo (11) def. Nicole Caliari
Gn sports
