What’s Next: UFC 333 Winners
After UFC 332, a card in the conversation for the worst numbered event ever put on by the promotion, which itself was sandwiched by a pair of Apex Fight Night cards and a fairly underwhelming Edmonton event, UFC 333 was more than welcomed by the fanbase. Getting high stakes MMA from some of the very best fighters this generation has seen scratched an itch that had been there for some time. With UFC 333 now behind us, let’s look at what’s next for Alexander Volkanovski, Petr Yan and the rest of the winners.
Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski’s legacy was already set, but he still found a way to add to it. He now enters a rarified tier of fighters to have beaten the generation before him, his own, and now, the one after. He didn’t simply finish a 32-year-old undefeated, clear number one contender, he did it at age 38. Calling it a remarkable achievement sounds like a serious understatement.
As far as who’s next for Volkanovski, while I believe Kevin Vallejos and Aljamain Sterling might have something to say about it, I think it’s pretty clear that Jean Silva is the current front runner for the next featherweight shot. If Volkanovski doesn’t get his desired fight with Justin Gaethje for a double-retirement.
Volkanovski’s next fight: Jean Silva
Petr Yan
What can you say about Petr Yan at this point? He solves the most unsolvable puzzle not once, but twice. Imagine looking down the barrel of a two-round deficit entering the third round against the most dominant force in the sport in terms of pace and cardio and then actually winning the next three rounds to keep your belt. This was vintage Petr Yan, from the slow start to the middle of the fight where his offense comes alive and the final stretch where he seems completely untouchable and the best fighter on Earth.
There is a pair of rematches available to Yan, but I think one is much more likely than the other. When you factor in the controversy of the result and the fact that it was much more competitive and entertaining, I think Sean O’Malley has a serious headstart on Song Yadong for the next shot at the belt.
Yan’s next fight: Sean O’Malley
Lone’er Kavanagh
After getting finished by Brandon Royval just three months ago, a matchup with a bulldozer like Ramazan Temirov felt worrying for the young Kavanagh. He had already shown to be immensely talented, while also being prone to defensive lapses. Those lapses are what should have made vulnerable to someone like Temirov, but Kavanagh dispatched of Temirov in a nearly flawless first round. While I wouldn’t be opposed to a fight with former champion Alexandre Pantoja, I would instead have him fight the loser of the upcoming Horiguchi/Almabayev before just so he can keep fine tuning himself before entering the title picture.
Kavanagh’s next fight: Horiguchi/Almabayev loser
Alexander Volkov
Isn’t it a bit funny that Alexander Volkov has a reasonable claim as the baddest man in the world? He’s 7-1 in his last eight bouts dating back to 2022, with that only loss being the very very controversial split decision to Ciryl Gane. His last uncontroversial loss is to Tom Aspinall, who is now out of the picture indefinitely. At 38, Volkov has proven to be a true student of the game who seemingly gets 1% better every time we see him. In his position, it would feel dishonest to say he deserves anything less than the title shot he should have been years ago.
Volkov’s next fight: Title shot
Aaron Pico
After losing his UFC debut in devastating fashion, Aaron Pico has rebounded nicely with a pair of really solid wins against Patricio Pitbull and now Losene Keita. Those are two fights that, just a few years ago, would have been hyped up as the best possible fights at featherweight outside the UFC. And Pico has come out victorious in both of them. Though he flirted with the idea of a Lerone Murphy rematch, I would still favour a slightly slower progression up the food chain. Someone like Youssef Zalal seems like the perfect opponent.
Pico’s next fight: Youssef Zalal
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