The UFC 333 card from Abu Dhabi? Man, that was a straight-up reminder that most of us couldn’t last five seconds in the Octagon. Saturday proved there are serious levels to this game, and it wasn’t just talk, it fully delivered a set of winners and losers that even your buddy Big Dave, the one who swears he is getting on Dana White’s Contender Series, wouldn’t want to square up against.
Aaron Pico Just Hit His First Octagon TKO and He’s Not Done
Aaron Pico, the Bellator knockout artist, just scored his first Octagon TKO victory with a faultless performance against Losene Keita. This was huge, especially after his original opponent, Arnold Allen, dropped out a few weeks back. Pico planted the seed right away with an instant takedown that put Keita on the back foot. You could see Keita’s defense immediately shift as he tried to stay off the floor. Then, BAM! Pico spotted it and planted a beautiful right, sending his opponent to the mat with a delayed stanky leg that led to Keita failing to defend himself. Seconds later, Pico hit that “SIUUUUU” celebration like Cristiano Ronaldo himself. Afterward, he called out Lerone Murphy for a rematch after “The Miracle” took him out in his UFC debut. The win over Patricio Pitbull got Pico rolling, but beating Keita builds significant momentum. You know he’s coming for that loss back.
Volkov’s New Swagger Is Challenging Dana Directly
Alexander Volkov’s unanimous decision victory over Rizvan Kuniev is probably the *second* biggest thing that happened to him this week. The real story? This new character he’s playing. The dude actually stood up and asked a confused Dana White for tips on how to be an MMA fighter during the midweek presser! He’s straight-up mocking Dana and the UFC! Listen, Volkov should really be on a seven-fight win streak. No matter what you think about the Ciryl Gane loss, he should have had a title shot before Josh Hokit, end of story. Well, this new energy might just be the spark he needs. He was comfortable against Kuniev, rangey, mixed his offense up nicely, and was probably seconds away from a submission win. Then, in his post-fight interview, the Russian went right back at Dana, asking what he needs to do to get a shot at gold. He needed to make a statement, stand out. And while the fight itself wasn’t a blockbuster, Volkov’s newfound swagger on the mic should ensure Dana can’t ignore him much longer.
The Flyweight Division Is Stacked and Scary as Hell
“Respectfully, anyone can get it,” said Lone’er Kavanagh after his superb victory over Ramazan Temirov. And while he sounds like a polite English gentleman, trust me, Kavanagh is a scary dude. He just landed an uppercut from hell on the chin of another scary dude who many thought was *even scarier* heading into their Abu Dhabi fight. The flyweight division is absolutely stacked. Thinking about Kavanagh’s words for a second, there are so many unbelievable fights that could be made right now. If Joshua Van prevails against Manel Kape in January, could Kavanagh, the Englishman, get a title shot? Maybe it’s a little early, but after that performance, with his calmness and maturity, there has to be a chance. And honestly, Temirov was a little overzealous, but he didn’t look bad at all. He landed a couple of nice shots, and that relentless aggression has to be an absolute nightmare to handle. My main point? WHO THE HELL WOULD WANT TO FIGHT ANY OF THESE GUYS? PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET BEATEN UP!
What’s next for these guys? Pico is gunning for that Lerone Murphy rematch, and Volkov is making some serious noise for a title shot, daring Dana to deny him. Meanwhile, the flyweight division is just a bloodbath waiting to happen, with contenders like Kavanagh, Temirov, Van, and Kape all looking to smash their way to the top. Get ready, because it’s only going to get crazier.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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