UFC 333 rolls into Abu Dhabi this Saturday, and honestly, this card is one of the year’s absolute deepest. We’re talking competitive fights all the way through, not just the championship bouts. The UFC has put together what you could argue is its most competitive card all year, with multiple main card fights set as betting pick’ems and others with crazy narrow odds.
Pico’s Time Is NOW
This Aaron Pico story? Man, it’s been almost a decade in the making. From wrestling prodigy to incredible knockouts and some brutal setbacks, it always felt like he was headed for something big. That victory over Patricio Pitbull was a long time coming after years of talk in Bellator and PFL; he *finally* closed that chapter with a statement win. Now he’s gotta prove he belongs with the UFC’s elite. He was supposed to get Arnold Allen and a direct shot at the featherweight Top 10, but instead, he’s welcoming Losene Keita, a former two-division OKATAGON MMA champion. Don’t sleep on Keita, dude. These two have 20 combined KO wins, and neither one plays it safe. Pico’s spent most of his career trying to reconcile his enormous talent with occasional, catastrophic lapses. A win here, especially against another dangerous finisher, implies those growing pains are truly behind him. Whoever comes out on top absolutely deserves an opportunity against a Top 10 featherweight.
Flyweight Division’s New Blood
Over in the flyweight division, things are changing big time. Lone’er Kavanagh and Ramazan Temirov are two of the most exciting new faces showing up. Kavanagh burst onto the scene with a short-notice upset of former two-time champion Brandon Moreno. That victory absolutely announced him as a legitimate contender in a division just packed with young, explosive talent. But then he hit a snag, a submission loss to Brandon Royval. That was a reminder that you can’t rush this process. Kavanagh has time to improve, but the UFC isn’t exactly letting him take it easy.
This whole UFC 333 card is set to be wild. They’ve got multiple main card fights that are basically pick’ems, with other bouts having super narrow odds. Even the bantamweight champion Petr Yan is only a modest favorite against Merab Dvalishvili in their trilogy fight. We’re talking Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev and Yan vs. Dvalishvili on the main card. You can’t miss these competitive matchups.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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