UFC 333 is in the books.
In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski demolished top contender Mavsar Evloev within just two rounds to remain featherweight champion. In the co-main, Petr Yan triumphantly ended his trilogy with Merab Dvalishvili, claiming a bonus-winning unanimous decision to keep the bantamweight belt.
Here are the three most important lessons learned from an exhilarating event…
3) Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev Is Light Heavyweight’s Newest Next Big Thing
The biggest story surrounding light heavyweight in 2026 has been ex-middleweights finding a new lease of life there. Paulo Costa, Robert Whittaker, and Reinier de Ridder all won their respective divisional debuts in the span of four months, injecting some much-needed name value into the division.
That is not to say that there are no young up-and-comers, however. Navajo Stirling has had a monstrous year so far, and he could add a second straight ex-champion in Jiri Prochazka to his resume next month.
Speaking of young up-and-comers, another one emerged on Saturday, as Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev knocked out Nikita Krylov (pictured above) in the first round of their prelim fight. It marked the unbeaten Chechen DWCS graduate’s fourth straight win in UFC competition and 11th overall.
That streak, or the fact that Yakhyaev has gone the distance just once, is not the scariest thing about him, however. It is his age. At 25 years old, “The Hunter” is, for all intents and purposes, a baby where most fighters are in their 30s. If he keeps up this hot stretch, he may be a contender, champion even, in short order.
2) Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley 2 Will Be One Of The UFC’s Most Highly Anticipated Fights Of 2027
As mentioned before, Yan has cemented himself as the better man between himself and Dvaliashvili. Now, he has an obvious next opponent.
Back in 2022, “No Mercy” was coming off losing the bantamweight title to Aljamain Sterling when he took on Sean O’Malley. The ensuing fight was competitive, but Yan dropped a rather controversial decision.
Five years later, however, their paths could converge again. Before Saturday’s fight, Yan entertained the possibility of rematching O’Malley should he win:
“Why not? For real, we have history, so why wouldn’t that be the fight?”
Now that Yan has emerged victorious, the UFC should get that fight done as soon as possible. Will O’Malley prove that the first result was no fluke, or will Yan exorcise another ghost of the past?
1) UFC’s Featherweight Division Enters Its Intriguing Next Chapter
Volkanovski is once again dominating the featherweight division as if his two losses to Ilia Topuria never happened. Now, the search for his next opponent begins.
With Diego Lopes off to lightweight, the most logical title eliminator would be Lerone Murphy vs. Jean Silva. Murphy has not fought since losing to Evloev this March, and he will need a rebound performance. Meanwhile, Silva has won two straight since losing to Lopes over a year ago, and he wants to clinch the title shot that he has been dreaming about for so long.
Elsewhere, the aforementioned Stirling also wants a title shot, but rising young gun Kevin Vallejos stands in his way. Yair Rodriguez is also still in the media rakings despite almost two years of inactivity, and others like Aaron Pico, who defeated Losene Keita on Saturday, are still around.
However one spins it, featherweight is going to be exciting to watch develop in 2027…
End Of My UFC 333 Rant
During the UFC 333 broadcast, the top two fights of UFC 336 in Toronto were also announced.
The main event sees Manel Kape finally get his much-awaited flyweight title shot, as he challenges Joshua Van. “Starboy” has been on a dominant stretch lately, winning three consecutive main events, and he will look to become just the second RIZIN alum to win UFC gold. As for Van, he is coming off definitely ending his Alexandre Pantoja arc with a convincing decision win last month.
Elsewhere, top-ranked finishers Carlos Prates and Michael Morales vie for the interim welterweight title. With Islam Makhachev unavailable, it is a shame that one South American’s momentum has to go, but it should be an explosive banger nonetheless.
