Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is live THIS MORNING (Sat., Oct. 24, 2026) with UFC 333, taking place inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, streaming exclusively live on Paramount+. The main event is Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev for UFC’s Featherweight title. The co-main is Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3 for UFC’s Bantamweight crown.
UFC 333 is a banger card with two extremely high level title fights for our main and co-main events. The main event sees Alexander Volkanovski perhaps taking on his toughest test to date, in the undefeated Movsar Evloev. Evloev is peaking right now and might be the best pure wrestler Volkanovski has ever fought. You can’t count Volkanovski out of anything, though. The Australian has shown that his fight IQ and elite well-rounded skillset can beat anyone (who isn’t named Islam Makhachev).
The co-main is a rubber match between Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili and an immediate rematch of what went down back in Dec. 2026, when Yan fought a perfect fight and spoiled Dvalishvili’s attempt to make history with four title defenses in a calendar year. Dvalishvili had the first laugh, against Yan, when he beat him in 2023. Will he also have the last laugh or will Yan prove his perfect fight is the norm and not a fluke?
The late “Prelims” are headlined by Dominick Reyes vs. Azamat Murzakanov. There’s also Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, Abus Magomedov vs. Cam Rowston and Grant Dawson vs. Nurullo Aliev.
The early “Prelims”, which start at 10 a.m. ET, include Colby Thicknesse vs. Asaf Chopurov, Jacob Malkoun vs. Abubakar Vagaev, Daniel Santos vs. Bolaji Oki, Noah Gugnon vs. Kody Steele and Iasmin Lucindo vs. Nicolle Caliari.
UFC 333 Start Date and Time
It’s standard operating procedure tonight. Here’s when the various portions of the latest numbered event goes live:
UFC 333’s Early “Prelims” will begin at 10 a.m. ET.UFC 333’s Late “Prelims” are scheduled to start at 12 p.m. ET.UFC 333’s PLE main card goes live at 2 p.m. ET.All of UFC 333 airs on Paramount+, which you can stream here.
The live blog will get underway at 10 a.m. ET, just before the first fight. Come in and chat with your fellow Maniacs in the comments.
145 lbs.: Alexander Volkanovski def. Movsar Evloev by TKO (punches), round 2 (4:54) — HIGHLIGHTS!135 lbs.: Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) — HIGHLIGHTS125 lbs.: Lone’er Kavanagh def. Ramazan Temirov by TKO (punches), round 1 (4:28) — HIGHLIGHTS265 lbs.: Alexander Volkov def. Rizvan Kuniev by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)145 lbs.: Aaron Pico def. Losene Keita by TKO (punches), round 1 (1:14) — HIGHLIGHTS205 lbs.: Dominick Reyes def. Azamat Murzakanov by KO (head kick and punches), round 1 (2:40) — HIGHLIGHTS205 lbs.: Abdul Rakhman Yakyhaev def. Nikita Krylov by TKO (knee and punches), round 1 (2:38) — HIGHLIGHTS185 lbs.: Abus Magomedov def. Cam Rowston by technical submission (guillotine), round 1 (1:44) — HIGHLIGHTS155 lbs.: Grant Dawson def. Nurullo Aliev by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)135 lbs.: Colby Thickness def. Asaf Chopurov by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)185 lbs.: Abubakar Vagaev def. Jacob Malkoun by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)145 lbs.: Daniel Santos def. Bolaji Oki by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28,29-28)155 lbs.: Kody Steele def. Noah Gugnon by KO (punches), round 1 (3:54) – HIGHLIGHTS115 lbs.: Iasmin Lucindo def. Nicolle Caliari by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC 333 PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev
Round 1: They trade leg kicks. Volkanovski to the inside, Evloev’s to the outside. Lots of feints from both men so far. Evloev lands a body kick. They trade right hands. Volkanovski pushes Evloev to the fence. Evloev turns him and separates. He gets the bodylock and pulls Volkanovski down. The champ is back up immediately, though. Evloev lands another flash takedown. Evloev lands a big shot as he breaks from a grappling exchange. Volkanovski chases Evloev down but misses his punches.
Round 2: Evloev lands two good straight rights to start the round. Evloev changes levels to get under Volkanovski who is attacking. He gets to his back, but isn’t able to get him down. Evloev gets the bodylock and tries to pull Volkaovski down from behind, but Volkanovski scrambles and lands on top. Evloev explodes up to get to his feet. Volkanovski lands a good punch that stuns Evloev. Evloev fires right back, though. Volkanovski controls a clinch against the fence, but Evloev is able to get away before taking damage. Volkanovski lands some good punches from range, though, one stuns Evloev again. Evloev covers up! Volkanovski is on top landing ground and pound. Evloev is hurt! Goddard waves it off!
Official decision: Alexander Volkanovski def. Movsar Evloev by TKO (punches), round 2 (4:54)
Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishbili
Round 1: Dvalishvili lands a hard right hand early. He then shoots on a single. Yan escapes. Dvalishvili tries again, but Yan again shrugs him off. Dvalishvili lands over the top and immediately picks the leg. He has Yan half the way down, but Yan manages to get away again. Yan moves forwards, but misses on some punches. He throws an oblique kick. Dvalishvili misses on another takedown. Yan throws another oblique kick and then lands a straight right. Dvalishvili gets a bodylock and gets Yan down. Yan is up right away, though. Dvalishvili lands a clean single leg in the centre of the cage. Yan works his way up, but Dvalishvili maintains the body lock.
Round 2: Dvalishvili throws a high kick that gets blocked, but does some damage. Yan lands some good jabs. Dvalishvili comes right back though with some punches and then a takedown. Yan gets up quickly. Dvalisvhili goes for another takedown, but Yan almost ends up on top with a scramble. Dvalishvili punches and level changes to get to Yan’s waist again. Dvalishvili forces him down by the fence. Yan gets up again, but he’s getting no breathing room to even think about offense. Yan manages to throw a combo, but he misses on an uppercut. Dvalishvili gets another single leg and Yan crawls to the fence and stands.
Round 3: Dvalishvili ducks under for an early takedown attempt. That forced Yan to defend against the fence. Dvalisvhili lands a knee and then separates. Yan lands a body kick, the same he landed in the last fight. No yelp of pain this time, though. Yan defends a shot. And again. He’s forcing Dvalishvili to stand with him. But Dvalishvili is landing good punches and leg kicks. Yan lands a big right hook, maybe his best shot of the fight. Yan lands a nice two punch combo. They start brawling and Dvalishvili is suddenly finding it hard to get takedowns. Yan hurts him with the body kick.
Round 4: Dvalishvili shoots immediately, but Yan pushes him back. Dvalishvili reaches for the leg a few more times, but Yan manages to get out of it. Yan lands a big one-two. He throws the combo again and rips to the body. Dvalishvili is looking tired for once in his life. Dvalishvili keeps going for the takedown, but Yan is able to stay out of trouble again. Yan lands another big punch to the body. Yan has lots of space and time to operate now. Yan just misses on a head kick.
Round 5: Yan tries to trap Dvalisvhili against the fence and land power shots. He scores one of them. Dvalishvili continues to try and find takedowns. Yan surprises him with a takedown attempt. He doesn’t get it, but he’s still moving forwrds and putting pressure on Dvalishvili. Yan lands a big punch and another body kick. Dvalishvili responds with a straight punch and then goes for the takedown, but can’t get it. Yan lands a nice jump knee. Yan lands another body shot. Yan lands the body kick again. They brawl with ten seconds left.
Official decision: Petr Yan def. Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov
Round 1: Temirov throws his spinning kick, but it’s blocked. Surprising lack of action from these two, with Temirov not going wild like he has in past fights. Temirov then lands a big right hand. Kavanagh pops his jab and throws a leg kick. Temirov comes forwards swinging, but gets all air. Temirov swings, but eats a big counter. Kavanagh starts unloading the clip, firing off a dozen punches. Temirov slumps and goes out!
Official decision: Lone’er Kavanagh def. Ramazan Temirov by TKO (punches), round 1 (4:28)
Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Round 1: Kuniev opens with a front kick to the body. Volkov lands a nice one-two and then adds a body kick of his own. Kuniev throws a side kick to the body. Volkov lands a nice leg kick and a follows it up with a jab. Kuniev lands a good straight punch and the pair then exchange in the middle of the cage. Action gets paused after Volkov lands a groin shot. Volkov lands some good leg kicks after we resume.
Round 2: Volkov lands a good jab. Then a front kick. Volkov is looking very comfortable in there. Kuniev is struggling to close distance. He rumbles forwards, but Volkov is able to land knees in the clinch. Kuniev lands a good hook, but Volkov then backs away and gets to the range he wants to be in. Kuniev lands a nice superman punch. Volkov just brushes it off, though. Kuniev tries to again, but misses. Kuniev leans in and lands a nice punch, though. He’s starting to push to cause damage. Volkov ties him up with a clinch. Volkov lands a one-two, but Kuniev responds with an overhand. That’s a much closer round, but Volkov still controlled much of it.
Round 3: Kuniev lands some big shots early. The pace then slows down considerably. Volkov lands a combo and then some leg kicks. Volkov keeps Kuniev at range with that jab and kicks. Kuniev is looking a little frustrated. He darts in and lands a good punch. Then they trade hard right hands. Volkov lands a hard leg kick. Then we get another minute of nothing happening. Volkov buckles Kuniev on his next leg kick. He takes Kuniev’s back and gets both hooks in. He slaps on the choke, but he’s not under the chin. Volkov adjusts and goes again. There’s 30 seconds left. Fight ends with Volkov hunting for that choke.
Official decision: Alexander Volkov def. Rizvan Kuniev by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Aaron Pico vs. Losene Keita
Round 1: Pico shoots right away and gets the takedown. Keita manages to get to his feet, against the cage. He hits Pico with a left as they separate. Keita defends the next takedown. Pico then wobbles him with a big punch. Pico keeps coming and puts him down! He lands some shots on the ground and Keita goes limp. Wow. The fight is over. Keita complains, but he was out.
Official decision: Aaron Pico def. Losene Keita by TKO (punches), round 1 (1:14)
Azamat Murzakanov vs. Dominick Reyes: For the second straight fight, Murzakanov got blown away from a head kick. Murzakanov didn’t go down from the kick, but he was severely wobbled and Reyes was able to put him down with follow up punches for the win.
Official decision: Dominick Reyes def. Azamat Murzakanov by KO (head kick and punches), round 1 (2:40)
Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev: Krylov busted Yakhyaev’s nose on the first punch he threw. They clinched soon after. Rakhman Yakhyaev then snapped him down and went for a D’arce. Yakhyaev gave up on that, but landed a big knee as Krylov was on the way up. Then he landed a few punches for the TKO, which felt a smidge early.
Official decision: Abdul Rakhman Yakyhaev def. Nikita Krylov by TKO (knee and punches), round 1 (2:38)
Abus Magomedov vs. Cam Rowston: Magomedov was way too big a step up for Rowston. He picked him apart from range and then slept him with a guillotine once he got too close.
Official decision: Abus Magomedov def. Cam Rowston by technical submission (guillotine), round 1 (1:44)
Grant Dawson vs. Nurullo Aliev: The two wrestlers threw down in this one, with Aliev landing the better shots in the first round (despite being docked a point for strikes to the back of the head). In the second round Dawson imposed his wrestling and spent most of the round on top. Aliev was exhausted in the third. That led to him giving up a few takedowns and effectively erased his chance to win the fight or salvage a draw.
Official decision: Grant Dawson def. Nurullo Aliev by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Colby Thicknesse vs. Asaf Chopurov: Chopurov fought with a lot of swagger and did great with his phonebooth fighting in the first. But he slowed down as he continued walking into Thicknesse’s elbows and clinch work. Chopurov tired down the stretch, but still managed to get a few takedowns. I scored it for Chopurov, but was happy to see the judges go the other way.
Official decision: Colby Thickness def. Asaf Chopurov by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Abubakar Vagaev vs. Jacob Malkoun: Malkoun worked his jab in the first round and had Vagaev totally baffled. He seemed to injure his shoulder at the end of that round, though. That shoulder slowed down Malkoun’s striking game and left him open for more of Vagaev’s power shots. Vagaev mixed takedonws in after that and used that to eke out a razor thin decision. The fact it iwas close tells you how well Malkoun did, to stay aggressive despite being so compromised.
Official decision: Abubakar Vagaev def. Jacob Malkoun by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bolaji Oki vs. Daniel Santos: That was a great fight. Both men really put their all into this one. Santos was a little more technical in both the striking and grappling department. But Oki was able to weather his offense well and hurt him in response. The result could have gone either way. I had Santos winning the first two rounds, but Oki could have been given either of the last two rounds.
Official decision: Daniel Santos def. Bolaji Oki by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28,29-28)
Kody Steele vs. Noah Gugnon: Gugnon looked good early, rocking Steele with his striking. Steele was able to land a few nice shots of his own, though. Steele then tried to go to his grappling and got a takedown, but Gugnon stood right back up. That led to some heavy exchanges in the middle of the cage. The pair came together and Gugnon went down after getting caught on the ear (I thought there might have been a clash of heads in there, too).
Official decision: Kody Steele def. Noah Gugnon by KO (punches), round 1 (3:54)
Iasmin Lucindo vs. Nicolle Caliari: Lucindo cut Caliari early with a left hook and then made it much worse with a spinning elbow. Caliari tried to grapple, but Lucindo was too big and strong for her. Lucindo did her best to make the cut even worse, but the doctors let Caliari keep going. Caliari was bothered by that good, though, and no answers for Lucindo after that.
Official decision: Iasmin Lucindo def. Nicolle Caliari by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Live stream begins at 10 a.m. ET. …
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