UFC 333: The Biggest Winners & Losers (And What's Next?)

UFC 333 gave us a 7 a.m. start on the West Coast and a card that delivered from top to bottom. In Abu Dhabi, Alexander Volkanovski handed Movsar Evloev the first loss of his career, and Petr Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili to win their bantamweight trilogy. Seven of the 14 fights ended inside the distance. Pip had the night off, so Olin and Jive Turkey Nano went live Monday for the Reactions & What's Next show. Nano summed it up: 333 was special, and the greatness was great. Below are the biggest winners, the biggest losers and what should come next for each of them, plus how our picks and bets held up. Spoiler: it was our best betting week of the year.

Biggest Winners

1. Alexander Volkanovski

Olin thought Volk would drown Evloev in the deep waters of a five-round fight. It happened a lot quicker than that. Evloev looked big and shredded, and the first round was competitive. He landed takedowns (3 of 7 for the night), and Nano felt you could argue Evloev won the opening frame on paper. But Volk was downloading data the whole time. Nano pointed to a change in timing: Volk feinted an uppercut, paused for half a beat and caught Evloev between motions. In round two Olin said Volk hit the uno reverse card. He landed heavy shots, reversed position after an Evloev takedown and finished him with ground and pound from half guard. Marc Goddard stepped in at 4:54 of round two. It earned Volk a Performance of the Night bonus and, by Olin's count, his ninth title-fight win, more than José Aldo. Age is just a number when your name is Alexander Volkanovski, and Olin thinks it's time to start the featherweight GOAT conversation with Volk at the top. The chat agreed. Aldo is close, but Volk has the better quality of competition.

What's next? Neither host has any appetite for a Justin Gaethje retirement-style fight. Nano would keep Volk defending against the division, with Jean Silva waiting in the wings, or a number one contender eliminator such as Silva vs. Lerone Murphy. Olin likes Jean Silva for Volk too. Aljamain Sterling was cageside asking for the title shot, and Olin wouldn't be mad at that either, though Sterling already has a fight with Kevin Vallejos booked for Nov. 21.

2. Petr Yan

This was Olin's main event, and Merab was his dog of the week. Merab came out like he was going to wrestle Yan into the shadow realm for 25 minutes. The early rounds were pure machine: takedown attempts everywhere, pressure, the usual relentless stuff. Then Yan woke up. He stuffed almost every shot down the stretch. Merab finished 5 of 58 on takedowns. Yan chopped the body and landed sharp combinations, and by the later rounds Merab was swinging at air. All three judges had it 48-47 for Yan, who kept the belt, and the fight earned Fight of the Night. Olin actually thought Merab did enough to win rounds one through three. Merab out-landed Yan overall, 159 to 131 in total strikes, but Olin agreed Yan listened to his corner and won the fifth like a champion. Nano saw it the other way, with the tide turning toward Yan as he gained momentum and stuffed the takedowns. Nano called it maybe the most competitive trilogy ever, next to Figueiredo vs. Moreno. He also had a note for Merab: work on the poker face, because showing every shot that hurts you scores against you.

What's next? Both hosts want Sean O'Malley, who already owns a win over Yan. Song Yadong was cageside, and Yan mentioned him when Daniel Cormier asked about next. Nano called that a classic marketing tactic to bring O'Malley's price down. Olin's verdict: O'Malley is absolutely the next thing.

3. Lone'er Kavanagh

Nano had Kavanagh on his fantasy team and was rooting for him all week. Temirov came forward like a wrecking ball, throwing big looping shots that have put people to sleep before. That is exactly what a slick counter-striker wants. Kavanagh stayed patient behind the jab, then uncorked a lead left uppercut late in the first round that dropped Temirov, and the follow-up punches ended it at 4:28. Olin broke down the technique on camera. It wasn't an arm punch. Kavanagh dug the toes of his lead leg in and turned the hip over for torque, and you rarely see a lead uppercut in MMA. Olin called it the best and most violent performance of Kavanagh's UFC run, a clear case of timing and speed beating power. It earned a Performance of the Night bonus, and Nano says Temirov doesn't lose much stock.

What's next? The chat pitched Alexandre Pantoja, and both hosts like it. Nano's other name is Tatsuro Taira. Olin's is the winner of Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Asu Almabayev, which is booked for Nov. 21.

4. Aaron Pico

Olin called this one right out of the gates. Pico showed Keita the wrestling first, so he wouldn't get drawn into a war. Then he stepped in and planted a right straight on the chin, and Keita went down. Pico followed up, and it was over at 1:14 of round one. Nano compared it to going on defense first in other sports: you take the wind out of the opponent's sails. There was a little debate about the stoppage, but Nano felt Keita had stopped defending and conceded once he rolled over. Pico called out the ranking squatters afterward. Olin's take: Pico is finally the guy-o in the UFC, and plenty of dudes are probably hoping the phone doesn't ring.

What's next? Pico asked for Lerone Murphy. Nano's favorite is Jean Silva or Aljamain Sterling, a grudge match that could work as a number one contender fight. Olin would reschedule the original Arnold Allen booking. With Sterling vs. Vallejos already set, both hosts landed on Jean Silva or Allen. Olin also floated Pico vs. Movsar Evloev.

5. Dominick Reyes

Olin and Pip picked the underdog, and the people's champ is back. Last week Olin wondered whether a leaner, more shredded Murzakanov had cut away the fat that fuels his gas tank. On Saturday Azamat looked sluggish and much smaller. Reyes was sharp and light on his feet. He used his length early, chopped the legs and landed a head kick that hurt Murzakanov, slipping to the mat himself as he threw it. He popped right back up and dropped him with that long left hand down the pipe, and the ground and pound finished it at 2:40 of round one. Olin compared it to the Kavanagh fight: speed and timing against power, and speed won again. Olin said this was the version of Reyes who gave Jon Jones problems. The resurgence is real.

What's next? Nano likes Khalil Rountree Jr. most, with Paulo Costa also in the mix, though a viewer passed along that Reyes said he won't fight Costa. Olin went with two new names: Robert Whittaker, or the loser of Jiří Procházka vs. Navajo Stirling on Nov. 21. That would be a chance to settle the score if Procházka, who knocked Reyes out in 2021, comes up short.

Biggest Losers

1. Movsar Evloev

The 0 is gone. Evloev had his moments early with the takedowns and the strikes, but once Volk figured him out it unraveled fast. The chat noted he has handled the loss well, and he'll be back. It's a JDM-style situation, Nano said. You fight for the belt, lose, and you're still in the conversation.

What's next? Olin likes Aaron Pico, who wants a top-five to top-ten opponent. Evloev fits that bill.

2. Merab Dvalishvili

Merab brought the war, but Yan brought the answers. A former champion who lives on volume and takedowns finished 5 for 58 on his shots over 25 minutes, and he's now 1-2 against Yan. A viewer in the chat put it simply: Merab beats Yan over three rounds every time, but not over five.

What's next? Olin's name is Payton Talbott. He thinks it makes dollars, even if he hates it a little. Nano wondered whether Mario Bautista makes more sense.

3. Ramazan Temirov

A 12-fight win streak ended with Temirov leaning forward, telegraphing his shots and walking into a counter. Pip had him as his best value pick. Nano thinks he can learn about not putting the foot on the gas too early.

4. Azamat Murzakanov

Back-to-back stoppage losses, and this one took under three minutes. He landed three strikes. Olin kept coming back to the weight cut. The shredded fight-week photos looked great, but he looked slow and drained in there.

What's next? Olin wants to see him against Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev, which would be a tough way to rebound.

5. Nikita Krylov

Krylov started fast, but Yakhyaev was better balanced and sharper and finished him in 2:38. A viewer in the chat said it's time for Krylov to call it, and Olin agreed: probably time to hang them up.

Other Notable Performances

• Colby Thicknesse was Olin's biggest hit of the week. He won a split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) as a nearly +500 underdog against the unbeaten Asaf Chopurov. Chopurov had more takedowns, but Thicknesse out-landed him 107 to 71 in total strikes, and Nano loved his volume, spinning backfists and body work in rounds two and three. Olin thinks Chopurov learned a lot. He was looking at the ref instead of working out of bad positions, and his face during the scorecards was priceless. He also thinks this is the last time we get Thicknesse at plus-200 odds. Olin calls him the new Juicy J. Olin's names were Brady Hiestand, Damon Blackshear and, if it's not too rich, Jonathan Martinez. Nano liked Victor Henry or Hiestand.

• Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev stayed unbeaten with a knee, a sweeping trip and ground and pound at 2:38 of round one. Olin asked whether it's crazy to call him a champion within two years, and Nano says the toolbox is there if he keeps answering the bell. He was also worth 111.3 fantasy points for Nano. Olin's names were Murzakanov, Bogdan Guskov or Khalil Rountree. Nano would go as high as Modestas Bukauskas.

• Alexander Volkov did what veterans do. He kept Rizvan Kuniev at the end of the jab, mixed in kicks and knees and took a unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27). Olin called it good, not great, a reminder that heavyweight overs are one of the steadiest bets in MMA. Nano was underwhelmed. It wasn't definitive, and Dana White's "we'll see" on a title shot didn't sound convincing. Olin wants the loser of Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit at UFC 334, or the loser of Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alex Pereira.

• Abus Magomedov snatched Cam Rowston's neck as he rushed forward and got the technical submission by guillotine at 1:44 of round one. Olin called it his best performance in about three years. Christian Leal Duncan and Anthony Hernandez came up as next names.

• Grant Dawson grinded and controlled Nurullo Aliev for a unanimous decision (29-27 x3), with more than six minutes of control time. Olin's real hero was referee Marc Goddard, who took a point from Aliev right away for shots to the back of the head. Nano wants Mateusz Gamrot. Olin floated the loser of Renato Moicano vs. Tom Nolan this Saturday and Beneil Dariush.

• Abubakar Vagaev won a unanimous decision over Jacob Malkoun, 29-28 on all three cards. Malkoun out-landed him in significant strikes, 106 to 71, but Vagaev went 6 for 12 on takedowns to Malkoun's 0 for 4 and dictated the pace. Nano thought Malkoun appeared to hurt his shoulder early. Next names: Cody Brundage, Michel Pereira and Kelvin Gastelum.

• Daniel Santos edged Bolaji Oki on all three cards (29-28 x3) in a razor-thin scrap. Santos out-landed him 87 to 70, and both men landed two takedowns. Nano says Oki didn't lose much stock in his new division. Olin floated Jose Delgado or David Onama, and Nano added Christian Rodriguez and Luke Riley.

• Kody Steele folded Noah Gugnon with a right hand at 3:54 of round one. Gugnon out-landed him 32 to 25 before that. Olin's names were Kyle Nelson, Matt Frevola, Michael Johnson or Nurullo Aliev. Nano likes Lance Gibson Jr.

• Iasmin Lucindo controlled Nicolle Caliari for more than nine minutes and won a unanimous decision (30-27 x3) at catchweight after Caliari missed weight by four and a half pounds. It wasn't a highlight, but Olin pointed out that Lucindo's last several fights have gone the distance. For next, Nano likes Alexia Thainara. Olin added Yan Xiaonan and Gillian Robertson, and between them that's nearly a mini strawweight bracket.

How Our Picks Did

This was the week of Olin's career on the predictions show. He picked 13 of 14 fights correctly. His only miss was his dog of the week, Merab. In the season-long underdog competition he's in with other podcasts, the week was worth 16 points and moved him from fifth to tied for second. Nano went 12 for 13 on the fights we have his picks for. His only miss was Murzakanov, and his fantasy team scored 220.6 points, with 109.2 from Kavanagh and 111.3 from Yakhyaev. Pip was 9 for 14 from afar, but he nailed Reyes by knockout in round one, Yakhyaev by knockout in round one and Vagaev by decision, all exactly right.

The bets cashed across the board. Olin's three-leg parlay of Volkanovski, Volkov and Kavanagh hit, as did the Yakhyaev knockout parlay. The Thicknesse longshots hit on the moneyline and by decision, and Olin cashed five tickets on him counting the round robins. Only the round-one prop missed. All told: 4.9 units staked, 21.962 units back and a 17.062-unit profit. Our best week of the year, and the year is now up double digits.

Looking Ahead

Volkanovski is back at the top of the GOAT conversation, Yan has the trilogy and O'Malley on deck, and Kavanagh, Pico and Reyes all forced their way into bigger fights. Next up is UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Nolan on Oct. 31. Before that, Olin and Pip go live Wednesday to predict who will hold every UFC title on Dec. 31, 2027. Let us know your 2027 champions in the comments on the YouTube episode.

Stay tuned as we keep breaking down the road ahead for the fighters of UFC 333.