About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev takes place on Saturday, October 24, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
There are 14 fights on the card, including two title bouts, and here are our picks for each and every fight.
I'm not the biggest fan of Evloev's decision-heavy fighting style, but there is no doubt it's effective in MMA, as he is 20-0 in his career, including 10-0 in the UFC alone.
Volkanovski is an amazing fighter, but at age 38, I think the clock is ticking, and this could be the fight where he finally looks old.
Go with Evloev to hear the words "and new" from UFC Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer by winning a decision and becoming the new UFC featherweight champion.
Yan and Dvalishvili have met twice before, with Dvalishvili dominating Yan in their first fight in 2023 and then Yan winning the rematch with a lopsided victory in 2025.
Given we just saw these two fight last December in what was a rout for Yan, I expect the same thing to happen here, as I'm picking Yan to once again win a decision in this trilogy bout to prove that he's the better UFC fighter once and for all by defending his UFC bantamweight title.
UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan meets Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy bout serving as the co-main event of UFC 333.Jeff Bottari / Getty Images
This flyweight bout between Kavanagh and Temirov could very well win Fight of the Night as these two match up for what should be an absolute war.
I expect a very competitive fight, but one that I think Kavanagh edges out on the judges' scorecards.
Volkov could get a title shot with an impressive win against Kuniev, who is a pretty solid fighter himself and who has proven to be a tough out during his short UFC career.
Anything can happen at heavyweight, but Volkov is the more well-rounded fighter and the far superior striker, and I see him grinding out a decision win in this one.
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Pico is a talented fighter, but his chin has always worried me, and now he has to go up against a true knockout artist in Keita, who is riding a wave of momentum right now after his KO victory at UFC Paris last month.
I don't like this matchup for Pico at all, and I think Keita goes in there and picks up the biggest win of his MMA career to date with a brutal first-round KO victory.
Murzakanov has huge KO power in his limbs, and Reyes has a chin that you just can't trust.
Go with Murzakanov to earn one of the biggest wins of his UFC career to date with a massive first-round knockout win.
Krylov has been in the UFC for well over a decade at this point, and while he does have far more experience than Yakhyaev, Krylov's chin is also broken at this point, and I don't see him lasting long in this fight.
Look for Yakhyaev to earn the biggest win of his UFC career to date with a quick first-round KO on Krylov and announce himself as a top contender at 205 lbs.
Magomedov is a good fighter with one big problem: bad cardio.
Unfortunately for Magomedov, Rowston has good cardio, and I think he will survive a tough first round to come back and stop Magomedov in the second round via strikes.
Dawson and Aliev are both grappling-based fighters who don't match up exactly well for an exciting matchup.
I expect a snoozefest here, but I'm going with Dawson to edge out a decision.
Thicknesse, a training partner of Volkanovski, is a decent fighter, but Chopurov is one of the best bantamweight prospects in the game right now, and I absolutely expect him to win this fight.
Go with Chopurov to get his hand raised, but likely by decision as Thicknesse is durable.
This fight is going to be a snoozefest, as both Vagaev and Malkoun are terribly boring fighters who just want to take the fight to the ground and hold their opponents there.
With Malkoun having more UFC experience and having fought better competition, I think he grinds out an ugly decision win.
Oki has a ton of power, and although Santos will have the superior cardio if this fight gets extended, I truly think that Oki can take him out early.
Look for Oki to have a successful UFC featherweight debut by knocking Santos out in the very first round.
Gugnon really impressed me with a first-round stoppage in his UFC debut this summer, and while Steele has looked pretty good in the UFC with a 2-1 record, including his win on Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS). I still think he has shown a lot of holes in his striking defense that Gugnon can exploit.
Go with Gugnon to improve to 2-0 in the Octagon with a first-round knockout win.
I already liked Lucindo to win this fight, but I love her even more now after Caliari missed weight, coming in 4.5 lbs over the 116 lbs non-title strawweight limit.
Look for Lucindo to control where this fight takes place and outpoint Caliari for a unanimous decision win.
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This story was originally published by Lindy's Sports on Oct 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the Other Sports section. Add Lindy's Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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