UFC 333 today: why Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev is the name everyone is searching
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The answer first: UFC 333 takes place today, Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The reason one fighter's name is topping searches in the United States is Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev, an undefeated light heavyweight who fights Nikita Krylov on today's card. If you came here wondering who he is, that is the short version — the rest of this post fills in the card, his record, and how to watch.
The card: two title fights on top
The main event is a featherweight title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated challenger Movsar Evloev. The co-main event is the third meeting between bantamweight champion Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili. Yakhyaev vs Krylov sits on the main card's light heavyweight slot, which is why a relatively new name is suddenly everywhere today.
Who is Yakhyaev?
Yakhyaev is 10-0 as a professional, with four knockouts, five submissions and one decision. Two finishes built his reputation: a 33-second rear-naked choke of Rafael Cerqueira at UFC Qatar in November 2025, the fastest submission by a light heavyweight in modern UFC history, and an 8-second knockout of Julius Walker in Baku on June 27, 2026, which earned Performance of the Night. He earned his UFC contract with a 30-second knockout of Alik Lorenz on Dana White's Contender Series in August 2025.
How to watch
In the United States the event streams on Paramount+, with early prelims at 10am ET, prelims at 12pm ET and the main card at 2pm ET. Krylov is the veteran test: a win over a ranked, experienced opponent would put Yakhyaev within reach of the division's top five. Note that this post was written before the event, so results were not yet final — check UFC's official results page after the card for outcomes.
Sources
UFC.com event page for UFC 333 (card, venue, start times); Yakhyaev's professional record as listed on Wikipedia; Action Network's UFC 333 preview, published October 24, 2026.