UFC 333 predictions, odds, best bets: Alexander Volkanovski, Petr Yan among picks to consider

The action heats up on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi and there's plenty of ways to get in on it

Oct 22, 2026 at 3:00 pm ET • 4 min read

On paper, Saturday's UFC 333 is one of the most competitive cards in years. From top to bottom, UFC 333 is loaded with tremendous fights between seemingly equally matched fighters.

That competitiveness is on full display in the night's two championship fights, including bantamweight champion Petr Yan against former champion Merab Dvalishvili and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski against undefeated Movsar Evloev. In fact, there are only three betting favorites on Saturday's card who are at -250 or higher.

With such an interesting card set for UFC 333, there will no doubt be plenty of interest in the event, including at sportsbooks. With that in mind, we've once again looked at all the event's main card fights to identify our best bets for each.

After a rough 1-4 result for our best bets for UFC 332, we are sitting at an unimpressive 23-28 for the year. Now we look ahead to this weekend with the goal of getting back in the black, with our only rule remaining that all bets must be at odds of -250 or better. Let's take a look at this week's picks with odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.  

Alexander Volkanovski chases featherweight history against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333

Brian Campbell

Aaron Pico vs. Losene Keita

Aaron Pico moneyline (-148)

It feels a certainty that Pico ends his career as one of the biggest cases of an elite prospect failing to meet anything near his potential. Still, it's hard to overlook how good Pico is when his full game is clicking. Pico is a world-class wrestler in the most literal sense and his striking is sharp, with a particularly strong bodywork game. Where Pico has come up short is on the defensive end of things, often leaving himself open to massive shots from his opponents, as happened when Lerone Murphy knocked him out with a spinning back elbow in Pico's UFC debut. Keita has the kind of striking that can punish Pico's defensive lapses, but I don't believe he can hang if Pico mixes in grappling with fair regularity. I make this pick with all the confidence one can have heading into a Pico fight, which is to say less than you'd like.

Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev

Alexander Volkov moneyline (-122)

Volkov should be sitting on a seven-fight winning streak, but he was robbed by the judges against Ciryl Gane in 2024. Had Volkov gotten the deserved win, he likely would have fought Tom Aspinall for the title. Instead, the judges kicked off a series of events that led to Gane holding the belt after Aspinall was forced to vacate. All that aside, Volkov uses his length well and has a good jab that Kuniev will be forced to navigate just to get into range to do anything offensive. In close, Volkov has a strong clinch game. This is another competitive fight on paper, but Volkov is set up to get another tough win in this one.

Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov

Ramazan Temirov moneyline (-112)

Temirov is a fighter who loves to brawl and whip wild overhand rights. That's not a great long-term recipe for success, but it hasn't failed him in the Octagon yet. Wins over Charles Johnson and Steve Erceg in his two most recent outings have been impressive for Temirov, while Kavanagh sandwiched a great showing in his victory over Brandon Moreno between stoppage losses to Johnson and Brandon Royval. Kavanagh doesn't have the kind of game or mentality that makes him the right kind of opponent to reliably break Temirov's flow. This is likely fought purely in the stand-up, where Temirov's bombs should dictate the fight.

Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili

Petr Yan via decision (+130)

Was Yan's title win a result of him being the better fighter or Dvalishvili being exhausted in keeping a truly wild schedule for a champion at the time? That's the big question heading into Saturday. Dvalishvili controlled Yan in trademark fashion in the first fight, but Yan was nearly perfect in the rematch, fending off Dvalishvili's takedowns and punishing him on the feet. I don't feel like there's a way to answer the question of whether or not Dvalishvili had pushed himself too hard going into the rematch until the fighters are in the cage on Saturday. But I do have faith that Yan is an adaptable fighter who seemed to have figured out Dvalishvili's takedown approach and has the right skills to punish him on the feet. This fight is destined for the scorecards, but the odds are too long to take the over as a best bet, which leaves Yan via decision as the most interesting available option.

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev

Alexander Volkanovski moneyline (-110)

This is another fight where it's likely the fighters see the scorecards, but at -275 to go the distance, the odds are too long for the column. Evloev has tremendous wrestling and Volkanovski is 38, which both would usually be checks in the challenger's favor. However, Volkanovski has good takedown defense and isn't likely to be taken down and held there, and he's been somewhat ageless in a division where age usually catches up to fighters quickly. I don't think it's a good thing that Evloev has only fought once since December 2024, and while he could grind out an ugly win if his wrestling gets going, I simply think Volkanovski is too well-rounded, crafty and used to fighting at this level to pick against him.