UFC 333 ‘Volkanovski vs. Evloev’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

AlexanderVolkanovski (144.5) vs. Movsar Evloev (145) Petr Yan (135) vs. MerabDvalishvili (135) Lone’erKavanagh (125.5) vs. Ramazonbek Temirov (126) Rizvan Kuniev (265)vs. Alexander Volkov (256) Losene Keita (146) vs.Aaron Pico (145.5) Azamat Murzakanov(206) vs. Dominick Reyes (205) Nikita Krylov(206) vs. Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (206) Abus Magomedov(185.5) vs. Cameron Rowston (185) Nurullo Aliev (155) vs.Grant Dawson (156) Asaf Chopurov (136)vs. Colby Thicknesse (135.5) Jacob Malkoun (186)vs. Abubakar Vagaev (185.5) Bolaji Oki (146) vs. DanielSantos (146) Noah Gugnon (156) vs. KodySteele (156) NicolleCaliari (120.5: missed weight) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (115)Sherdog’s live UFC 333 “Volkanovski vs. Evloev” coverage will begin Saturdayat 10 a.m. ET.

Round 1

Women’s strawweights light the fuse for UFC 333 at Etihad Arena,where an overweight Caliari (9-4, 1-2 UFC) awaits Lucindo (18-6,5-2 UFC) inside the 115-pound weight class. Lukasz Bosackiadjudicates matters. They touch gloves and get down to business.Lucindo switches stances repeatedly, feints and whiffs on a frontkick. Hard low kick from Caliari. Lucindo answers with one of herown, then catches her fellow Brazilian with a left hook. Caliariclinches, and they trade knees along the fence. Lucindo turns herinto the fence and drags her to the mat. Caliari, bleeding from acut near her right eye, makes a pass at a leglock. Lucindo powersinto top position and moves to half guard. Caliari sweeps andstands, only to be taken down again. Lucindo back in half guardwith two minutes to go in the round. Heavy top pressure fromLucindo, who drops a few elbows. She flirts with an arm-triangle,then passes to side control. Lucindo stands, and Caliari followssuit. Low kick from Lucindo, who drops to a knee and wanders into afront headlock. She escapes and wrestles into the clinch. Theyseparate. Lucindo lands a spinning backfist at the end of theround.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo

Round 2

Back to work in Round 2. The spinning backfist opened the cut nearCaliari’s right eye further and necessitates a pre-roundexamination. Lucindo still switching stances, as they flurryagainst one another. Caliari clinches along the fence and landsknees to the body. Lucindo stands after being tripped but eats aknee to the body. She turns Caliari into the cage, defends anill-advised leglock and takes top position. Lucindo operates onfull guard and gets busy with hammerfists, elbows and forearmstrikes. Blood flowing from the Caliari cut. More elbows fromLucindo, who continues to target the cut. Halfway home in thisround. Lucindo staying busy in top position. Caliari rolls for anarmbar, kicks away her compatriot and stands. She scores with a lowkick and a left hook. Lucindo secures another takedown. Caliarikicks her away and stands. Nice left hook to the body from Caliarito close the round.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo

Round 3

Caliari almost certainly needs a finish entering the third round.Lucindo circles on the outside and lands a kick to the body. Shelures Caliari into the clinch and presses her into the fence. Theyjockey for position, and Lucindo digs knees to the body. Caliarifails with a head-and-arm throw and winds up on her back pinned tothe canvas. Lucindo throws her ground-and-pound into gear again,forcing her opponent to close guard. Midway through the round.Short punches from Lucindo, who moves to half guard and slides toside control. Caliari reclaims full guard and lands a few punchesfrom the bottom. Ninety seconds on the clock. Caliari shrimps tothe fence and stands but cannot shake the clinch. Valuable timeticks away. Lucindo maneuvers behind her and works for a takedown,with no luck. No separation for Caliari, who lands some knees tothe body in the waning seconds.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo (30-27Lucindo)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo (30-27 Lucindo)
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Lucindo (30-27 Lucindo)

The Official Result

Iasmin Lucindo def. Nicolle Caliari—Unanimous Decision (30-27,30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

Next on the UFC 333 docket: a lightweight affair matching Gugnon(10-2, 1-0 UFC) with Steele (8-1, 1-1 UFC) at 155 pounds. SamanAmidi administers the law and order. Away they go. Steele paws withhis jab. Gugnon follows suit, then turns away an attemptedtakedown. They trade jabs. Steele lands a low kick, shoots againand bails. Hard jab from Gugnon. They exchange low kicks and jabs.Sharp one-two from Steele. Gugnon connects with a partially blockedhead kick and flurries with punches. Steele shells and circles outof danger. More pressure from Gugnon, who continues to lead on apunishing jab. Heavy leg kick from Steele. Gugnon answers with oneof his own. Steele unleashes a one-one-two, then doubles up on hisleft hook. He resets and lands more clubbing shots before duckinginto a takedown. Gugnon stands, breaks away with elbows and resets.Right uppercut from Gugnon, who follows with a low kick. Steele steps into a stabbing right hand, drops his counterpart witha one-two and pounds out a finish with standing-to-groundpunches.

The Official Result

Kody Steele def. Noah Gugnon—TKO (Punches) 3:54 R1

Round 1

Attention at UFC 333 now shifts to the featherweight division,where Oki (10-4, 2-3 UFC) locks horns with Santos (14-3, 4-2 UFC)at 145 pounds. Jason Herzog climbs into the cage to referee andgives the two combatants the green light. Body kick from Santos.Oki jabs at the body, feints and gets his jab in gear, then lands aside kick to the body. Santos plunges forward and misses a lefthook. Oki goes back to his jab and connects with a hard low kick.Santos sneaks in a right hand over the top and stalks from thecenter of the cage. Oki counters with close-range elbows. Santosanswers with a one-two and lands with enough force to get hisopponent’s attention. They trade in the center of the cage. Okislips on a body kick and wanders into a half-guard guillotine. Hepops out his head and engages Santos on the ground. Oki dodgesupkicks and scores with a diving hammerfist. Santos stands but eatsknees to the body. Santos lands a left hook. Oki shoots and drivesinto a takedown, then powers into side control. He connects withknees to the body, postures and punches to close the round.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Oki
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Oki
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Oki

Round 2

An entertaining first round now gives way to the second. Oki stepsforward with a one-two and dodges a flying knee. Santos ducks in ona single-leg but cannot finish the takedown. Oki clinches andpushes the Brazilian to the fence. Santos counters a takedown andlands in top position. Oki moves to all fours and stands. Santoskicks out the leg and scores with a takedown. Back to all fours forOki, who absorbs a few left hands but builds a base and stands.Santos flurries with hooks from both hands and a spinning backfist.Oki sneaks in a knee and a right hand over the top. Leg kick fromSantos. Ninety seconds on the clock. Oki tunes up his leg kicks.Santos answers, shoots and bails, floating back to open space.Inside leg kick from the Brazilian. They trade punches andseparates. Santos steps into a knee up the middle, drawing anaudible reaction from the crowd. Oki eats it without issue.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Santos
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Santos
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Santos

Round 3

Outcome still up in the air here. Inside leg kick from Santos. Okipicks up the pace with his jab as he circles on the outside. Twomore inside leg kicks from Santos. Oki jabs at the body and whips aleft hook into the Brazilian’s chin. Both man land power shotsupstairs. One-two from Oki, who steps into a vertical elbow. Santosflurries but mostly swings at air. Oki shoots a right hand to thebody. Santos continues to pound away with low kicks. Oki changeslevels and drives into a takedown, survives a scramble and lands inhalf guard. Santos stands when his opponent tries to climb to fullmount. Body kick doubles over Santos. Oki swarms with punches buteats a spinning elbow and retreats. More pressure from Oki. Anotherspinning elbow lands for Santos. Oki connects with a one-two.Santos lands a body kick to close the round.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Oki (29-28Oki)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Oki (29-28 Oki)
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Oki (29-28 Oki)

The Official Result

Daniel Santos def. Bolaji Oki—Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28,29-28)

Round 1

Middleweights are next to the UFC 333 stage, as Malkoun (10-3, 6-3UFC) squares off with Vagaev (25-4, 1-0 UFC) at 185 pounds. Bosackipolices the proceedings. Malkoun refuses the glove touch. Chants of”Vagaev!” break out. Stiff jab from Malkoun. Vagaev answers withinside low kicks. More jabs from Malkoun, who mixes in theoccasional left hook. Vagaev lands a right hand over the top.Malkoun sticks with his jab and circles on the outside. He snatchesa single-leg and backs Vagaev to the fence. Vagaev counters with atakedown, postures in guard and gets his ground-and-pound going. Hestands above Malkoun and kicks at the legs. Bosacki restarts themon the feet. Malkoun gets back to his jab with 90 seconds left inthe round. He hides a left hook with multiple jabs. Vagaev scoreswith a low kick and a one-two. More jabs from Malkoun, who hascontrolled the round with the punch. Vagaev flurries late, startingwith a left hook.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun

Round 2

They trade jabs to start the second round. Vagaev rattles hisopponent with a left hook and backs it up with punches. Malkounanswers with his jab. Vagaev steps into a clean right hand, fendsoff a single-leg and jabs. Sharp one-two from Malkoun, who backs itup with a multi-punch volley. They trade in the center of the cage.Vagaev sneaks in a low kick. He circles behind Malkoun, presses himinto the fence and breaks away with punches. Malkoun continues toscore with his jab. One-two from Vagaev, who follows an uppercutwith a left hook and executes a takedown. Malkoun stands almostimmediately. Vagaev counters a jab with a right hand over the top.Vagaev ducks into a takedown. Malkoun gets to his feet but eats aright hook on the break. More jabs from Malkoun. Vagaev lands anoverhand right, resets and connects with a left hook in the waningmoments.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Vagaev
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Vagaev
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Vagaev

Round 3

Inside leg kick from Vagaev opens the third round. Malkoun leans onhis jab. Vagaev lands with hooks from both hands. More jabs fromMalkoun. Vagaev shoots on the hips, then bails. He counters aMalkoun jab with an overhand right, resets and lands again. Vagaevsteps into a right hand over the top, changes levels and secures atakedown. Malkoun stands and braces himself on the fence beforebreaking free into open space. Vagaev doubles up on rightuppercuts. Two minutes to go. Vagaev landing the more impactfulblows. They clinch along the fence. Malkoun separates and goes backto the jab, mixing in a left hook whenever the mood arises. He jabsand clinches. Vagaev steps into a knee to the body. Malkoun answerswith his trusted jab. Inside leg kick from Vagaev. Malkoun connectswith a right hand just before the round concludes.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-28Malkoun)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-28 Malkoun)
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Malkoun (29-28 Malkoun)

The Official Result

Abubakar Vagaev def. Jacob Malkoun—Unanimous Decision (29-28,29-28, 29-28)

Round 1

They keep the UFC 333 line moving with a bantamweight tilt betweenthe unbeaten Chopurov (11-0, 0-0 UFC) and Thicknesse (9-1, 2-1 UFC)at 135 pounds. Mike Beltran handles the officiating duties andwaves the green flag. Thicknesse opens with a body kick. Chopurovcommands the center and stomps at the lead leg of his opponent.They clinch along the fence. Thicknesse lands knees to the body.Chopurov reverses position, separates and digs a knee to the body.Collar tie from the Russian, who breaks free, resets and connectswith a front kick to the body. He pins Thicknesse to the fence withpunches, presses forward and wanders into a guillotine. Chopurovscrambles out of danger and dumps the Aussie to the mat, thenwelcomes him back to his feet. They clinch again. Thicknesseattacks a guillotine. Chopurov rolls out of danger, stands abovethe Australian and engages the grappling before separating andstanding. Thicknesse shoots on the hips but finds little success.More clinching in the closing seconds.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Chopurov
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Chopurov
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Chopurov

Round 2

Chopurov steps forward, attacks with uppercuts, clinches andseparates. Body kick from Thicknesse. More pressure from Chopurov,who steps into a knee and drives into another clinch. He lands astanding elbow before they separate. Nice multi-punch combo fromThicknesse. They trade jabs. Thicknesse snatches a single-leg butgoes nowhere. They clinch again and separate. Not much flow to thefight, with lots of fits and starts. Thicknesse lands an elbow andfollows it with a burst of punches. He presses Chopurov to thefence. Two minutes to go. Thicknesse lands a close-range knee tothe body, then defends a takedown and threatens a kimura. Moreclinching. Thicknesse scores with an elbow and knees to the body.They separate. Thicknesse connects in combination, ties up andtrades elbows and knees. Chopurov drives into a takedown, thenallows his opponent to stand. Puzzling. Thicknesse responds with anelbow upstairs and more knees to the body.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Thicknesse
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Thicknesse
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Thicknesse

Round 3

Probably a round apiece here. Chopurov marches forward behind hisjab. They tie up and trade elbows, then separate. Front kick to thebody from Thicknesse. Chopurov powers into a takedown, stacks theAussie and drops punches. Thicknesse stands, with his opponentclinging to a rear waist lock. Chopurov drags him back to thecanvas. Thicknesse now bleeding from a cut under his right eye.Chopurov stands and invites his counterpart back to the feet.Thicknesse plunges forward with elbows, then maneuvers behind theRussian. Halfway home in the final round. Thicknesse stays glued tothe former UAE Warriors champion. Chopurov turns him into the fenceand cuts loose with a right uppercut and a left hook to the body.Thicknesse backs up a head kick with a right hook, then tripsChopurov to the floor. A minute left, with a potential upsetbrewing. Chopurov scrambles to his feet and lands a knee up themiddle. More pressure from the Russian, who ties up and punches tothe body. He drags Thicknesse to the mat. The Australian stands andconnects with a close-range elbow. They flurry to end it.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Chopurov (29-28Chopurov)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Chopurov (29-28 Chopurov)
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Chopurov (29-28 Chopurov)

The Official Result

Asaf Chopurov def. Colby Thicknesse—Split Decision (28-29, 29-28,29-28)

Round 1

Action at UFC 333 moves back to the lightweight division, where theundefeated Aliev (12-0, 4-0 UFC) puts Dawson (24-3-1, 12-2-1 UFC)to the test at 155 pounds. Marc Goddard steps in as the third manin the cage and sets them in motion. Aliev steps into a left handover the top. Dawson probes with a front kick to the body. Alievpushes him toward the fence, unleashes his hands, sprawls on atakedown attempt and powers into top position. Dawson works elbowsfrom the bottom, then shrimps and stands. He sneaks in a left hand,then whiffs on a knee up the middle. Dawson lands an inside legkick. Aliev clips him with a left, jumps on top and uncorkshammerfists to the back of the head. Goddard stops the action anddocks Aliev a point. Dawson steps into a knee on the restart, thentests the water with a head kick. Aliev blocks it. Sharp knee tothe body from Dawson, who fires a head kick behind it. Aliev rollswith the strike, minimizing its impact. Ninety seconds to go.Dawson lands hooks from both hands. Aliev steps into multipleoverhand lefts and drives into the clinch. They separate. Dawsonsprings into a single-leg takedown. Elbows and punches ensue. Alievscrambles but wanders into a guillotine in the closing seconds.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 9-9
Tyler Treese scores the round: 9-9
Mike Sloan scores the round: 9-9

Round 2

Back to it for the second round. Dawson lands an overhand right.Aliev steps into a left hand over the top. Dawson snatches ahigh-crotch single-leg and works toward a takedown. Aliev scramblesfree, stands and connects with a left hook. Body kick from Dawson,who follows with a one-two and a left hook. He powers into adouble-leg takedown, forcing Aliev to a seated position at the baseof the cage. Dawson moves to half guard and drags his opponent awayfrom the fence. Ground-and-pound follows. Aliev reclaims full guardbut remains pinned to the canvas. More punches from Dawson, alongwith a series of elbows. Aliev initiates a scramble and stands.Dawson staying busy with his hands and feet. He cuts off a weaktakedown attempt and scores with two jabs. Front kick to the bodyfrom Dawson, who ups his aggression late in the round.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Dawson
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Dawson
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Dawson

Round 3

Aliev’s perfect record definitely in danger as they start the thirdround. Dawson counters a forward push with an upward elbow and aseries of low kicks. Aliev connects with two left hooks. Inside lowkick from Dawson. Takedown attempt from the American sets off anextended scramble, further depleting Aliev’s gas tank. Dawsonsprawls and land punches. They stand. Dawson finds a home for asweeping left hook. Labored movements from both men. Aliev lands anoverhand left and a jab. Dawson targets the body with a right hook,shoots on the hips and secures a takedown. Aliev closes his guard.Dawson lands elbows. Ninety seconds on the clock. More elbows fromDawson, who mixes in a few knees to the body after sliding to halfguard. He climbs to full mount with a little more than a minuteleft in the match. Dawson postures and drops elbows, then appliessuffocating pressure. Time ticking away on Aliev. Dawson closeswith a burst of ground-and-pound.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Dawson (29-27Dawson)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Dawson (29-27 Dawson)
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Dawson (29-27 Dawson)

The Official Result

Grant Dwason def. Nurullo Aliev—Unanimous Decision (29-27, 29-27,29-27)

Round 1

Pressing forward at UFC 333, Magomedov (29-7-1, 5-3 UFC) takes onRowston (15-3, 3-0 UFC) in a middleweight clash at 185 pounds.Amidi draws the officiating assignment and gives them the go-ahead.Body kick from Rowston. Magomedov steps into winging hooks fromboth hands. Rowston covers up and circles away from danger. Legkick from Magomedov. He follows it with a stiff jab. Rowston comingup short on his punches and eats another damaging low kick.Magomedov continues to target the leg. Rowston shoots and dives into an ill-advised takedown attempt.Magomedov bites down on a guillotine, clings to the choke through aseries of scrambles and puts Rowston to sleep.

The Official Result

Abus Magomedov def. Cameron Rowston—Technical Submission(Guillotine Choke) 1:44 R1

Round 1

Next up at UFC 333: a light heavyweight scrap between Krylov(31-12, 12-10 UFC) and the unbeaten Yakhyaev (10-0, 3-0 UFC) at 205pounds. Herzog mans the figurative whistle. No one expects this oneto go the distance. Krylov paws with his jab, hunts stomps to thelead leg and lands an overhand right. He presses into the clinch.Yakhyaev, bleeding from the nose, braces himself along the fence.He lands short punches upstairs and knees to the body. Krylov staysglued to him and continues to threaten takedowns. Yakhyaev countersand drops in on a guillotine. He bails and works behind Krylov.Yakhyaev lands a knee to the side of the head and cuts loose withpunches to prompt the stoppage.

The Official Result

Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Nikita Krylov—TKO (Knee and Punches)2:38 R1

Round 1

Light heavyweights tie a bow on the UFC 333 prelims, as Murzakanov(16-1, 6-1 UFC) sets his sights on Reyes (16-5, 10-5 UFC) at 205pounds. Beltran acts as watchdog. They touch gloves and gets towork. Armed with massive height and reach advantages, Reyesimmediately targets the lower extremities with kicks. Murzakanovstalks from the center. Hard low kick from Reyes, who circles andlands another leg kick. Sharp one-two from Murzakanov. Reyes staggers him with a head kick, decks him with a follow-upleft hand and pounds out a stoppage with punches.

The Official Result

Dominick Reyes def. Azamat Murzakanov—TKO (Head Kick and Punches)2:40 R1

Round 1

Featherweights kick off the UFC 333 main card, as Keita (17-2, 1-1UFC) confronts Pico (14-5, 1-1 UFC) at 145 pounds. Bosackiadjudicates matters. Pico steps to the center, feints and circles.He shoots on a high-crotch single-leg and secures a takedown inopen space. Pico moves behind the Belgian, who stands and lands aleft hand. One-two from Pico. He follows a right cross that drops Keita in his tracks, thencloses the deal with a series of punches on the ground. It goesdown as the first legitimate stoppage loss of Keita’s 20-fightcareer.