UFC 333 went down yesterday (Sat., Oct. 24, 2026) inside Etihad Arena in Dubai, UAE, which saw Alexander Volkanovski stop Movsar Evloev in the second round of their featherweight title fight (highlights). In the co-main event Petr Yan retained his 135-pound strap by defeating Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision in what was an epic end to their trilogy (see it here).
Winner: Alexander Volkanovski
Who He Should Face Next: Aljamain Sterling (if he beats Kevin Vallejos) or move to Lightweight
“The Great” delivered another staple performance after stopping Evloev via second-round technical knockout (TKO), his second straight title defense. There aren’t a ton of top contenders that Volk has yet to face at 145 pounds, but the one fight that could happen is one again Aljamain Sterling, who is sitting at No. 4 and would offer another fresh challenge for the champion, but he is currently scheduled to face Kevin Vallejos next month. But, if I am being honest, that fight does not do much for me at this stage in Volkanovski’s career. He is going to return for at least one more fight as he stated post-fight, so if his time is in MMA is coming near an end I would rather have him attempt to become champ-champ by moving up to challenge the lightweight champion. That said, it SHOULD NOT be against current title holder, Justin Gaethje, just yet. The next title shot should go to Arman Tsarukyan, so if “The Great” wants to move up he can wait for the winner of that potential matchup.
Who He Should Face Next: Sean O’Malley
Yan managed to hold on to his 135-pound strap by defeating Dvalishvili for the second time to put an end to their rivalry. For my money, I would love to see Yan face O’Malley in his next title fight The promotion did seem to push Song Yadong as the next contender by having him in attendance in Abu Dhabi and getting a shout out from Daniel Cormier, so it seems to everyone as if “Suga” was getting pushed aside. Yan himself isn’t too thrilled about facing O’Malley next, either, but it could be what’s ordered since “Suga” does have a win over Yadong earlier this year. Furthermore, the storyline is already built in for a Yan vs. O’Malley rematch after “Suga” defeated “No Mercy” at UFC 280 via razor-thin split-decision.
Winner: Lone’er Kavanagh
Who He Should Face Next: Tatsuro Taira
Kavanagh got back in the win column with an impressive knockout win over Ramazan Temirov (see it here), putting him at 2-2 in his last four fights. Currently ranked at No. 6, it will be interesting to see if this win will be enough to help him crash the Top 5. I wouldn’t mind seeing him face off against Taira, who is currently ranked No. 4 in the division. He was last seen losing to current champion Joshua Van in a title fight. I think this is a great return fight for both men, and a fresh one at 125 pounds.
Who He Should Face Next: Wait and see
Volkov lobbied for a title shot prior to the event, and made a case for himself with a win over Rizvan Kuniev, That said, I just don’t think it will be enough to get him a title shot next. That’s because Sergei Pavlovich and Alex Pereira will throw down at UFC 335, and the winner of that fight could very well get to face the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit at UFC 334. That leaves Volkov as the odd man out for the moment. He could always play the long waiting game and sit out to get the next shot after that, but that could be a dangerous game to play because Tom Aspinall is still out there waiting to get cleared. And since he vacated the strap due to his eye injury, he could very well lobby for an immediate shot upon return. For now, Volkov will have to wait to see how the rest of the year plays out before he can see who he will be lined up against next because there is no sense for him to face anyone outside of the Top 4.
Who He Should Face Next: Arnold Allen
Pico won his second straight fight under the UFC banner with a technical knockout (TKO) win over Losene Keita (see it here), who stepped in on short notice after Arnold Allen suffered an injury. I still want to see the Allen vs. Pico fight. Allen is currently ranked No. 6, while Pico sits at No. 14. I don’t know how much of a boost he will get with this win, but re-booking the Allen fight just makes sense. Pico did call for a rematch against Lerone Murphy, who knocked him out at UFC 319, but I just don’t see the sense of that so soon.
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