UFC 333 Main Card Fight Reportedly Hit With Major Change

The main card opener for UFC 333 has reportedly undergone a major change just over a month out from the event.

Scheduled to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE on October 24, UFC 333 is headlined by a highly-anticipated featherweight title bout between the division’s reigning titleholder Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated challenger Movsar Evloev.

UFC gold will also be on the line in the co-main event, as Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili are set to meet in a trilogy bout after Yan took the bantamweight belt from Dvalishvili at UFC 323.

Arnold Allen Out of UFC 333 Fight With Aaron Pico

The UFC 333 main card also includes a huge flyweight clash between Lone’er Kavanagh and Ramazan Temirov and a heavyweight bout that features Alexander Volkov and Rizvan Kuniev, which could see the winner earn their first UFC title shot.

Alexander Volkov (red gloves) fights Waldo Cortes-Acosta (blue gloves) during UFC 328 at Prudential Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The five-fight main card was also supposed to open with Arnold Allen taking on Aaron Pico in a featherweight matchup, but yesterday RMC Sport Combat reported that Allen has unfortunately withdrawn from the matchup.

Arnold Allen (red gloves) fights Jean Silva (blue gloves) during UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A teaser posted by UFC featherweight contender Losene Keita kicked off speculation that he might be in line to replace Allen, and today MMA Fighting confirmed that “Black Panther” will now face Pico at UFC 333.

Losene Keita Gets Huge Short-Notice Fight After Stunning UFC Paris Knockout

A former two-division titleholder with Oktagon MMA, Keita joined the UFC to considerable fanfare last year but pulled out of his scheduled debut against Patricio Pitbull after issues with his weight cut.

Nathaniel Wood (red gloves) fights Losene Keita (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Keita returned in March to make his first Octagon appearance at UFC London, where the 28-year-old dropped a split decision to Nathaniel Wood in the first non-injury loss of his MMA career.

Losene Keita (red gloves) fights Muhammad Naimov (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Undeterred by that setback, Keita entered the cage earlier this month at UFC Paris and brutally knocked out Muhammad Naimov to formally introduce himself to UFC fans and secure a “Performance of the Night’ bonus in the process.

Ex-Bellator Standout Aaron Pico Also Coming Off First UFC Victory

“Black Panther” is now set for a huge opportunity at UFC 333, as Pico is currently sitting at #13 in the media rankings and #12 in the Meta AI rankings for the ufc featherweight division.

Aaron Pico during weigh-ins for UFC 319 at Radius Chicago. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The former Bellator star also joined the UFC last year but found himself on the wrong end of a sensational highlight when Lerone Murphy knocked him out with a spinning elbow in the opening round of their UFC 319 fight.

Lerone Murphy (red gloves) fights Aaron Pico (blue gloves) during UFC 319 at United Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pico met fellow Bellator veteran Patricio Pitbull at UFC 327 in April and got his hand raised via unanimous decision, which set the American up for a chance to climb the featherweight rankings with his originally-scheduled fight against Allen.

Patricio Pitbull (red gloves) fights Aaron Pico (blue gloves) during UFC 327 at Kaseya Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With just over a month to go until the event, UFC 333 only has nine confirmed fights and still has room to add several more bouts over the coming weeks.

UFC 333 Fight Card

Main Event: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev – For the UFC Featherweight Championship

Co-Main Event: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3 – For the Men’s UFC Bantamweight Championship

Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov

Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev

Aaron Pico vs. Losene Keita

Dominick Reyes vs. Azamat Murzakanov

Abus Magomedov vs. Cam Rowston

Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev

Grant Dawson vs. Nurullo Aliev

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