Frank Knows: UFC 333 Preview & Predictions

The Ultimate Fighting Championship moves to the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday. Armchair fans can follow the action live on TNT Sports.

The leading betting apps run pre-fight and live odds on the best UFC 333 has to offer, including the headliner, Volkanovski v Evloev.

Former professional boxer, current Port Glasgow Victoria Boxing Club coach, and respected sports betting analyst Frankie Monkhouse offers his big-fight preview and predictions.

Volkanovski vs Evloev

Alexander Volkanovski is a 38-year-old Australian MMA fighter and the two-time UFC featherweight champion.

Known as ‘The Great’, Volkanovski brings a record of 28 wins against four defeats in MMA and enters the octagon following back-to-back wins. He beat Diego Lopes on points over five rounds on UFC 314, and did the same again on UFC 325 last time out.

Interestingly, those two wins were the first time Alexander tested the scoring judges since February 2023. He stopped Yair Rodriguez in round three, was taken out inside a round by Islam Makhachev, and lost in round two to Ilia Topuria.

Movsar Evloev is a 32-year-old Russian fighter based in his homeland. He’s the challenger, but sits at number one in the Meta UFC featherweight rankings.

Evloev enters as an unbeaten fighter, with his MMA record reading 20 wins from as many starts. It’s interesting to learn that 13 of those victories came on the scorecards, with four submission wins and three coming by way of knockout.

Evloev was last in action when beating Lerone Murphy in London. That was another bout he won on points, edging a majority decision. A featherweight eliminator, Evloev was deducted a point in round four, making the scores look a little tighter than they should’ve been.

Frank’s Pick

I’m going for the unbeaten fighter who has barely put a foot wrong in his career to date. Evoev is fancied to beat Volkanovski, who has lost half of his last four outings.

You can back Evoev to leave with the title as a single, but it’ll also do a job in your UFC 333 accumulators and Bet Builders. Those looking for more should focus on the method of victory betting market.

With Evoev winning his last 10 on the scorecards, I’ll take him to beat Volkanovski on points in the method of victory.

Yan vs Dvalishvili III

Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili meet for the third time, with the winner taking home the UFC bantamweight title.

Yan is the current two-time champion defending against the former champion. The pair are locked at one win each, with Dvalishvili winning the first bout on points three years ago. Yan got his revenge in 2025.

Frank’s Pick

Yan won each of his previous four bouts, including that points victory over Saturday’s opponent. He’s also the pre-fight betting favourite, and my pick to win.

Expect another Fight of the Night contender, with Yan’s striking and workrate impressing the judges. You can back the champion to win on points again, but I’m happy with the 8/13 available in the fight-winner market.

Pico vs Keita

Aaron Pico was originally scheduled to face Arnold Allen, but that was shelved when the latter was forced to withdraw due to an injury.

Pico now shares the octagon with Losene Keita in the featherweight division. All the pressure is on the Californian wrestler, but he’s expected to deliver victory.

Pico has won four of his last five bouts, including a points victory over Patricio Pitbull on UFC 327 in Miami.

Keita, a 28-year-old fighter from Guinea, has won 17 of his 19 matches, including four of the last five. His last outing produced a KO win in Paris, France, and a Performance of the Night bonus. He’s chasing an upset.

Frank’s Pick

Bookmakers have Pico as their favourite, but there’s very little between the fighters in the betting.

A win for Pico is 10/11, with victory for Keita at 11/10. Another great opportunity to land the value.

I believe Pico will handle the change of opponent well, scoring the win and paving the way for bigger things in 2027. With three of his last five bouts ending inside the distance, you can also bet on this bout not to test the judges.