The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi as two belts are on the line at UFC 333. The Main Event at Featherweight features long-time titleholder Alexander Volkanovski against the undefeated Movsar Evloev. The co-main event is a rematch for the 135lb belt as Petr Yan looks to hand Merab Dvashvili a second consecutive loss. The fights kick off at 10:00 AM ET on Paramount+ with the Prelims, and the Main Card starts at 2:00 PM ET.
Check out all the latest UFC odds, stats, predictions, and matchup breakdowns for the entire fight card below, and always feel free to reach out to me in discord or on twitter at @MikeIannoneDFS. Now let's look at some UFC DFS top picks and plays for Saturday's event. Good luck with your MMA daily fantasy lineups!
MMA DFS Playbook for UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs Malott
Main Event | |||||
Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev | 8200/8000 | - | Stackability: Low | -110/-110 | |
The championship belt is on the line in the featherweight division as Alexander Volkanovski takes on Movsar Evloev. Volk has been a staple at the top of the division for over five years, while Movsar brings an undefeated record into this fight. Volk’s counter wrestling is phenomenal and his pace and cardio as second to none. Evloev is going to look to push forward, and while he will be able to land some takedowns I do not believe that he will be able to keep Volk down for long. Evloev is a live dog, especially with his high scoring upside with his wrestling but I lean towards Volk winning this fight. Out of the two five round fights on this card I lean towards stacking Yan vs Merab more than this fight. | |||||
Expensive Fighters
Expensive | |||||
Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev | 9400 | Nikita Krylov | Somewhat-Safe | --500 | -300 |
Abdul has the power to end this fight quickly, but also the skill set to go deeper if needed. He is my most confident play on the slate and has a ton of upside. | |||||
Petr Yan | 8800 | Merab Dvalishvili | Somewhat-Safe | -165 | 120.0 |
He's the current champion with a great shot to win the fight. Merab is going to be 60% owned, which makes this a rare opportunity where you can get a five-round fight favorite at low ownership. He has better strikes than Merab, so as long as he can keep some space, he should be able to win the fight. | |||||
Asaf Chopurov | 6600 | Colby Thicknesse | Somewhat-Safe | -550 | -200.0 |
He’s in Yan's fight camp and has skills similar to him. He should be able to showcase his skills in this matchup the UFC is giving him, as Thicknesse isn't much of a finisher, so all upside is on Asaf. | |||||
Azamat Murzakanov | 9000 | Dominick Reyes | Moderate | -138 | 225.0 |
Someone in this fight is probably getting KO'd. Murzakanov is giving up some size, but he has the power to one-shot Reyes and throws everything with the intention to land the knockout. He'll have to go into danger to land, so he is a tier below the three fighters above him. | |||||
Iasmin Lucindo | 9200 | Nicolle Caliari | Moderate | -150 | #N/A |
She is going to be a low-owned, high-priced fighter, but she has a good chance to win this fight by finishing later in the fight. Calliari has a suspect gas tank that Lucindo should be able to take advantage of. She outvolumed Angela Hill in her last fight, so this should be easier. | |||||
Mid-Range Fighters
Mid-Range | |||||
Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
Grant Dawson | 8500 | Nurullo Aliev | Moderate | -118 | 600.0 |
Dawson is taking a step back in competition here, so he should be able to dominate the matchup. As long as Dawson avoids the KO, he should be able to outwrestle Aliev for the entirety of the match. | |||||
Ramazan Temirov | 8300 | Lone'er Kavanagh | Moderate | -102 | 180 |
Temirov is one of the biggest power punchers at 125lbs, and Kavanagh has suspect defense, so this could be a quick fight. Temirov has some of the most upside in the mid-range this week, but if this fight gets to a decision, he won't score well. | |||||
Aaron Pico | 8300 | Lone'er Kavanagh | Somewhat-Risky | -120 | 350.0 |
Pico is all volume and mixes up his wrestling and striking. Keita has low volume with a ton of power, and Pico has proven to be chinny before. I want a piece of this fight in most of my GPP lineups. | |||||
Losene Keita | 7900 | Ramazan Temirov | Somewhat-Risky | -105 | 350.0 |
Keita has power, and Pico only loses by getting KO'd. I don't want to bank too much on a low-volume striker, but at an underdog price he fits in lineups that need a high-upside underdog. | |||||
Cam Rowston | 7800 | Abus Magomedov | Somewhat-Risky | 110 | 215 |
Rowston has good wrestling and better cardio than Abus. It'll be a tough first five minutes, but once he survives the initial onslaught, he should be able to pull away from Abus. | |||||
Lone'er Kavanagh | 7900 | Ramazan Temirov | Somewhat-Risky | 124 | 200 |
He has a good chin and good cardio, but similar to Rowston, he needs to survive an early onslaught before finding success. His volume should be nearly double Temirov's, so if he makes it to decision, I favor him to win the fight. | |||||
Paydown Fighters
Pay-Downs | |||||
Fighter(s) | Price | Opponent | Risk | Odds | ITD |
Merab Dvalishvili | 7400 | Petr Yan | Somewhat-Risky | 114 | 750 |
Merab is priced where he can hit the optimal lineup in a loss. His last fight vs. Yan scored 90 in a loss, which at $7400 is more than enough to pay off his price. He'll be the most popular play on the card, even as a +150 underdog. | |||||
Noah Gugnon | 7500 | Kody Steele | Somewhat-Risky | 130 | 130.0 |
Steele is a better wrestler; Gugnon is the cleaner striker, but not by much. I expect these two men to trade wildly in the pocket until one of them goes down, and I'm going to go with the slightly more technical striker. | |||||
Bolaji Oki | 7600 | Daniel Santos | Risky | 100 | 400.0 |
Oki has some power, and Santos was KO'd recently. Oki was very hyped coming into the UFC, but after a rough stretch, he is moving down to a weight class. I don't think he wins, but when fighters move down in weight, it's hard to tell how that change affects them. | |||||
Dominick Reyes | 7200 | Azamat Murzakanov | Risky | 170 | 250 |
Reyes has the length and speed to win this fight. If he lands first, he could KO Azamat, but his chin is very suspect, so he'll need to finish this fight to win it. | |||||
Jacob Malkoun | $7200 | Abubakar Vagaev | Risky | 136 | 500 |
Malkoun always wins by decision, which normally is a problem, but he is so cheap this fight that in a decision win he could hit the optimal lineup. His wrestling can be good at times, so he does have some upside if he ends up chain wrestling. | |||||
Nikita Krylov | $6,700 | Abdul Yakhyaev | Risky | 410 | 500 |
Krylov is either winning in round one or losing in round one. He is facing a high-level prospect who seems to have great cardio, so if he can't land big early on or land an early takedown, he likely gets KO'd. | |||||
Sample Lineup
Live Dogs
Evloev, Dvashvili, Reyes, Kavanaugh
Picks and Stats
Alexander Volkanovski | vs | Movsar Evloev |
$8,200 | DFS Salary | $8,000 |
17-3-0 | Record | 23-4-0 |
6 | Knockouts | 6 |
11 | Subs | 11 |
-110 | Vegas Odds | -110 |
Petr Yan | vs | Merab Dvalishvili |
$8,800 | DFS Salary | $7,400 |
18-6-0 | Record | 17-3-0 |
8 | Knockouts | 3 |
3 | Subs | 7 |
-163 | Vegas Odds | 130 |
Lone'er Kavanagh | vs | Ramazan Temirov |
$7,900 | DFS Salary | $8,300 |
17-9-0 | Record | 10-1-2000 |
4 | Knockouts | 4 |
9 | Subs | 1 |
-110 | Vegas Odds | -110 |
Alexander Volkov | vs | Rizvan Kuniev |
$8,400 | DFS Salary | $7,800 |
35-17-1 | Record | 18-8-0 |
8 | Knockouts | 9 |
3 | Subs | 9 |
-120 | Vegas Odds | -105 |
0 | ||
Aaron Pico | vs | Losene Keita |
$8,300 | DFS Salary | $7,900 |
26-9-0 | Record | 31-11-0 |
10 | Knockouts | 13 |
5 | Subs | 16 |
-138 | Vegas Odds | 110 |
Azamat Murzakanov | vs | Dominick Reyes |
$9,000 | DFS Salary | $7,200 |
3-0-0 | Record | 5-2-0 |
3 | Knockouts | 4 |
0 | Subs | 1 |
-205 | Vegas Odds | 170 |
Nikita Krylov | vs | Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev |
$6,800 | DFS Salary | $9,400 |
15-7-0 | Record | 17-6-1 |
11 | Knockouts | 11 |
0 | Subs | 2 |
400 | Vegas Odds | -549 |
Abus Magomedov | vs | Cam Rowston |
$8,400 | DFS Salary | $7,800 |
18-7-1 | Record | 13-0-0 |
3 | Knockouts | 9 |
1 | Subs | 0 |
-120 | Vegas Odds | 100 |
Grant Dawson | vs | Nurullo Aliev |
$8,500 | DFS Salary | $7,700 |
12-3-0 | Record | 9-1-0 |
1 | Knockouts | 2 |
1 | Subs | 2 |
-110 | Vegas Odds | -110 |
Colby Thicknesse | vs | Asaf Chopurov |
$6,700 | DFS Salary | $9,500 |
9-1-0 | Record | 7-2-0 |
8 | Knockouts | 5 |
1 | Subs | 0 |
400 | Vegas Odds | -549 |
Abubakar Vagaev | vs | Jacob Malkoun |
$8,900 | DFS Salary | $7,300 |
15-0-0 | Record | 6-1-0 |
1 | Knockouts | 3 |
6 | Subs | 1 |
-150 | Vegas Odds | 120 |
Bolaji Oki | vs | Daniel Santos |
$7,600 | DFS Salary | $8,600 |
18-10-1 | Record | 16-5-0 |
6 | Knockouts | 7 |
6 | Subs | 6 |
-105 | Vegas Odds | -120 |