We've got an action-packed card on deck for UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi as Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan look to defend their respective belts.
Volkanovski and Yan both feature in my UFC 333 parlay and the latest UFC odds, which I'll break down below in my free betting picks for Saturday, Oct. 24.
Best UFC 333 parlay picks
Alexander Volkanovski to win
Petr Yan to win
Azamat Murzakanov to win
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Alexander Volkanovski to win
It's been a legendary 10-year career in the UFC for Volkanovski, but I don't think the 38-year-old is done just yet.
Volk has fought almost anyone you can name in the featherweight division, from Jose Aldo to Max Holloway and beyond, defending his belt five times over a span of six years.
Movsar Evloev, with his perfect 20-0 record, presents a new challenge, but it's nothing old Volk hasn't seen before. Evloev is a wrestling specialist who averages 4.78 takedowns per 15 minutes, and his entire game plan will revolve around controlling Volkanovski on the mat.
Volkanovski has faced a similar style before in Islam Makhachev, whom he arguably beat in their first bout. The difference is that Makhachev posed a much greater threat, both on the feet and on the mat.
The champ had to improve his defensive wrestling to compete with Makhachev, and those tools will come in handy again here. Volk, who owns the second-best significant strike differential among active featherweights (+2.86), will be the far more dangerous fighter on the feet.
Petr Yan to win
Who doesn't love a trilogy?
Yan and Merab Dvalishvili are set to fight for the third time, with Merab winning their first meeting back in 2023 and Yan defeating Dvalishvili for the bantamweight belt in their rematch last December.
Both fights were extremely competitive, but Yan seemed to crack the code last time.
Yan's takedown defense was nearly insurmountable in their last meeting, as he stuffed 27 of Dvalishvili's 29 takedown attempts. In fact, Yan turned the tables on Merab, landing five takedowns of his own.
It's no surprise that Yan had the edge in striking in that bout, but he also seemed to have better conditioning than "The Machine," which seems almost impossible. Yan somehow outstruck Dvalishvili in each of the final four rounds.
It won't be an easy path to victory, as it never is against Merab, but Yan has already shown he has what it takes.
Azamat Murzakanov to win
Azamat Murzakanov looks to rebound from the first loss of his career after being finished by Paulo Costa back in April. He'll get that chance against Dominick Reyes, who is somehow still hanging around in the UFC.
Reyes is still a solid striker with knockout power, but at 36 years old with nearly a decade of UFC experience, his chin is extremely suspect. Reyes has been knocked out in each of his last four defeats, and Murzakanov is a knockout specialist.
Murzakanov is deceptively quick for a stocky 5-foot-10 light heavyweight, and he swings with malicious intent. He's earned 12 knockout wins in 17 pro fights, with five of his six UFC victories ending via KO.
That type of power is not something a 36-year-old Reyes will be able to withstand.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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