The wait for UFC 331 is nearly over, and the MMA Knockout staff have made their picks for all five fights on the event’s main card.
The main event will see Movsar Evloev challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight belt, and in the co-main event Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili settle their trilogy in a bantamweight title bout.
The main card is rounded out by Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov, Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev, and Aaron Pico vs. Losene Keita.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev Predictions
Drew Beaupré: Begrudging as the decision may have been, the UFC finally made the right choice and to give Evloev a long-awaited shot at UFC gold. This matchup should have been made as Volkanovski’s first title defense after reclaiming the featherweight belt, as there was no need to see him take on Lopes in a rematch so soon after their first meeting.
The question of age is a relevant one every time Volkanovski steps into the cage now, but we’ve yet to see a fighter that’s able to actually outwork him over the course of five rounds other than Islam Makhachev. It’s always possible that “The Great” will suddenly look like he’s lost a step once this fight starts, but Evloev’s lack of finishing ability means he’d likely have to be able to hold Volkanovski down for extended periods in order to win this. (Pick: Volkanovski)
Zain Bando: This fight is long overdue. UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski can finally end his rematch era during his second reign at 145 pounds as he takes on Movsar Evloev. Although Evloev has won 10 UFC fights in a row, his lack of excitement and his tendency to go the
distance rather than finish fights are, to me, a recipe for disaster. Volkanovski is dangerous wherever the fight goes, and, quite frankly, the later it goes, the more likely his pace is to earn a decision and keep his title in Abu Dhabi. (Pick: Volkanovski)
Verdict: Unanimous for Volkanovski
Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3 Predictions
Drew: Trilogy fights don’t get a whole lot more intriguing than this, and the question I find myself asking is twofold: Did Yan simply figure out how to negate Dvalishvili’s high-paced style in their rematch, or did “The Machine” struggle because he was trying to keep a far more active schedule than what we’ve come to expect from reigning UFC champions?
The answer is likely somewhere in the middle, as Yan obviously made adjustments from their first meeting and Dvalishili must have been suffering from some measure of burnout from his previous title defenses. I’m expecting another very competitive bout that could be decided by one or two big moments to swing rounds, and I’m going to slightly lean with Yan to retain his belt when it’s all over. (Pick: Yan)
Zain: It’s been nearly a year since the second fight, and the MMA community is still buzzing about how much momentum the rivalry has gained. Both guys are now 100 percent healthy, and it appears Merab Dvalishvili is embracing the role of the villain, as he was met with showering boos at Thursday’s pre-fight presser. Like the main event, whoever has the better gas tank entering the championship rounds will be victorious. It’s hard not to envision Dvalishvili regaining the title, especially considering that this is the only fight he has wanted to avenge since losing his title in Las Vegas. In typical Dvalishvili fashion, too, he wants to remain active upon regaining the strap. Now, he’ll have the chance to make his plan an actionable reality. (Pick: Dvalishvili)
Verdict: Split 1-1
Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov Predictions
Drew: With Temirov coming off that brutal knockout against Steve Erceg, seeing this matchup immediately makes me remember that Kavanagh was knocked out by Charles Johnson in a significant upset. Then again, so was reigning flyweight titleholder Joshua Van, who is undefeated since suffering that setback.
That’s obviously not meant to imply that Kavanagh will reach the same heights as Van, especially given that he comes into this fight following a loss to Brandon Royval, but he is a young fighter that will have learned from both of those losses. There’s still a chance that Temirov could catch him during the early going if he’s not careful, but I think this fight will favor Kavanagh more the longer that it goes on. (Pick: Kavanagh)
Zain: A possible “Fight of the Night” contender, a combined 30 wins between Lone’er Kavanagh and Ramazan Temirov is nothing to gloss over as an afterthought. In fact, it might just be the most important attribute. Kavanagh has split his last four fights, as he lost a thriller at UFC 329 in July against Brandon Royval by rear-naked choke in the fight’s closing minutes. Meanwhile, Temirov is off to a perfect start in the Octagon and has won 60 percent of his career fights by KO/TKO. Another tough fight for Kavanagh could see him on the wrong end of a stoppage loss, which is why a Temirov TKO seems like a safe pick here. (Pick: Temirov)
Verdict: Split 1-1
Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev Predictions
Drew: It’s not often that we get a legitimately intriguing heavyweight fight, and whoever wins this matchup will be well-positioned to potentially fight the winner of the upcoming UFC 334 title bout between Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit. I love a lot of the things that Kuniev does on the feet that set him apart from most other fighters in the heavyweight division, but I’m not sure if he’s going to be able to implement that style very effectively if he isn’t able to close the distance on the towering Volkov. (Pick: Volkov)
Zain: Whether UFC CEO Dana White forgot Alexander Volkov or not, his heavyweight clash with Rizvan Kuniev is his ticket to stay in the heavyweight title mix. Many still argue that Volkov did enough to beat Cyril Gane a few years back, but nonetheless, he must still get by Kuniev to keep his title shot case alive. Kuniev has won back-to-back fights, knocking out Tyrell Fortune in his last outing. With a limited UFC sample size, it’s hard to trust Kuniev to find the fight-ending shot against a guy like Volkov, who has only lost two fights by KO/TKO throughout his long career thus far. Again, it’s another conservative prediction, but experience is experience. (Pick: Volkov)
Verdict: Unanimous for Volkov
Aaron Pico vs. Losene Keita Predictions
Drew: This is a huge opportunity for Keita given that he suffered a loss in his highly-anticipated UFC debut but rebounded with a brutal knockout of Muhammad Naimov last month. Pico himself is also in need of a big win, as the unanimous decision over Patricio Pitbull at UFC 327 wasn’t quite enough to erase the memory of that vicious spinning elbow knockout from Lerone Murphy in the former Bellator star’s own UFC debut.
Pico is definitely the more well-rounded fighter on paper and I won’t be at all surprised if he wins this, but he does unfortunately have a few nasty knockout losses on his record and is facing a very hard hitter in Keita. (Pick: Keita)
Zain: This fight is a pure striker-versus-grappler matchup. Aaron Pico will be looking to rush across the Octagon and take Losene Keita down, while Keita will be gunning for the knockout. Something has to give, but Keita may just be setting himself up for a massive 2027 ahead. (Pick: Keita)
Verdict: Unanimous for Keita
Be sure to check back on our homepage for predictions for the UFC 333 preliminary card, a betting guide, how to watch, and live coverage of the event.
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