Islam Makhachev, who tops the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, has shared his predictions for the main bouts at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on 24 October, where Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili meet in their trilogy fight. According to Makhachev, Yan's return to the top after serious injuries was a genuine show of character. "Petr has too many injuries," he said, noting that the Russian has only a few fights left before retirement. He added that Yan will comfortably shut down the Georgian's takedown attempts in their third meeting.
In the event's second title fight, unbeaten Movsar Evloev takes on Alexander Volkanovski. "You have to turn his lights out," Makhachev said, insisting a knockout is the only way to stop the Australian. Even so, he predicted that Evloev will win on the judges' scorecards, three rounds to two.
