Movsar Evloev is 20-0, a perfect 10-0 inside the Octagon, and I’d struggle to name one moment from that run that made me jump off the couch. That’s the man challenging Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The UFC posted on X that the fight was “inevitable.” Maybe so. Inevitable and fun are different words, though, and I know which one I’d bet on for the main event of UFC 333.
I’m setting my alarm for the early prelims.
The case against the top of the card
Volkanovski is 38 and sits at 28-4. He’s chasing his seventh overall title defense, according to Yahoo Sports’ preview, and his fight IQ is about as good as anyone’s ever been in the division. Evloev wins by being the stickier, more patient man for 15 minutes at a time. Put those two in a cage for five rounds and you get chess with shin pads.
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Yahoo’s preview ran as a conversation between two writers, Chuck and Petesy, and Chuck is the self-described lone U.S.-based Movsar mark. Even he framed the challenger’s appeal like this: “Twenty-five minutes can feel like a Siberian sentence against Evloev, who wrestles at his leisure and has surprisingly quick hands.” That’s a compliment. It’s also a warning label.
Then they both picked a Volkanovski decision. Petesy went further. He pointed out that Evloev opened up against Lerone Murphy, ditching what he called a monotonous grappling style for something more fan friendly, and got bent by constant pressure for his trouble. His conclusion was that leaving the A-game behind against Volkanovski would be a terrible idea. So the best version of Evloev, the one with a real shot at the belt, is the version that holds you against the fence for long stretches. I respect it. I don’t want to watch it at 25-minute length.
The co-main has a better story and the same problem. Petr Yan (20-5) and Merab Dvalishvili (21-3) are tied 1-1 heading into the trilogy for Yan’s bantamweight title. Chuck wrote that Yan battered Merab for four of the five rounds in the rematch. Petesy thinks Merab changed how he fought to be more entertaining that night, and this time he wants to see both men fight the way they actually fight. Translation: the purist hope for this one is a cleaner, more disciplined fight. Two elite bantamweights who’ve already shared 10 rounds aren’t going to surprise each other much, and I’m penciling in another full 25 minutes.
The best argument against me is obvious. Two title fights stacked with some of the most technically gifted fighters on the roster, with Volkanovski’s legacy and Evloev’s long-delayed shot both on the line, is exactly what a pay-per-view is supposed to be. Sure. But technique is a reason to study a fight, and the guys most excited about these matchups are predicting the scorecards will decide it. I’ve sat through enough five-round decisions to know how hour four feels.
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Where the violence lives
Start with Aaron Pico against Losene Keita at 145. Arnold Allen was supposed to face Pico before an injury knocked him out, and Keita stepped in. Chuck called it the best non-title fight on the card and said it’s do-or-die time for Pico, which is exactly the kind of pressure that turns a featherweight into a guy throwing hooks with bad intentions.
Keita’s path to this point is a mess I can’t stop rooting for. His UFC debut against Nathaniel Wood was a letdown, which Petesy blamed on matchmaking and called “an absolute baptism of fire.” Before that, he’d been lined up against Patricio Pitbull, a fight that fell apart when Keita missed weight. Then he looked as good as advertised against Muhammad Naimov. A fighter who’s been thrown in the deep end and found his footing is the most dangerous kind of opponent, and Pico needs a win.
Lone’er Kavanagh against Ramazan Temirov at 125 might be even better. Kavanagh beat Brandon Moreno, hit a bump against Brandon Royval, and Petesy wrote that he “is incapable of being in a bad fight.” He described Temirov as “a seek-and-destroy pocket rocket” and said he doubts the fight hears the final bell. Sophisticated striker versus a guy coming forward to take his head off at flyweight speed? Give me that over five rounds of collar ties.
Both of those are listed on the main card in the r/MMA pre-fight thread, which also warns the order may be inaccurate. The deeper you go, the more it rewards early risers. The prelims at noon ET on Paramount+ run Dominick Reyes against Azamat Murzakanov and Nikita Krylov against Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, two light heavyweight fights on one block, plus Abus Magomedov against Cam Rowston at 185 and Grant Dawson against Nurullo Aliev at 155. Two 205-pound fights in an hour is two chances for someone to get separated from their senses.
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The early prelims start at 10 a.m. ET on Paramount+ and UFC Fight Pass with Jacob Malkoun against Abubakar Vagaev at middleweight and Colby Thicknesse against Asaf Chopurov at bantamweight. Daniel Santos versus Bolaji Oki, Iasmin Lucindo versus Nicolle Caliari, and Noah Gugnon versus Kody Steele round out the night. Those are the slots where fighters are trying to earn their way up the poster, and that hunger shows up on the feet in a way that a champion protecting a 28-4 record rarely does.
Watch the title fights. History’s history. But if you’re picking one window of UFC 333 to give your full attention, make it 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 24, and by the time Volkanovski and Evloev touch gloves, you’ll already have seen the best knockout of the night.
