UFC Signs Top MMA Prospect for Highly-Anticipated Debut Fight at UFC 333
One of the most highly-touted prospects in all of MMA has signed with the UFC and will make his promotional debut at UFC 333.
Scheduled to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE on October 24, UFC 333 is headlined by a featherweight title fight between defending champion Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated challenger Movsar Evloev.
UFC gold will also be on the line in the co-main event, as Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili are set to compete in a trilogy bout after Yan defeated Dvalishvili at UFC 323 to reclaim the UFC bantamweight belt.
UFC Signs Undefeated Bantamweight Asaf Chopurov
As of this week there were still only 10 fights scheduled for UFC 333, but the card has received a major addition in the form of another men's bantamweight bout.
Following an initial report from @Pelunaton that his name had been added to the UFC website, MMA Junkie confirmed that undefeated bantamweight Asaf Chopurov has signed with the UFC.
A perfect 11-0 as a professional fighter following a stellar 35-1 amateur career, Chopurov has finished all but one of the opponents he's faced since turning pro in 2023.
The 24-year-old's last five fights all came under the UAE Warriors banner, and last October he claimed the promotion's vacant bantamweight belt when he forced Demarte Pena to retire on the stool in between rounds three and four.
Following that title-winning performance, "Honey Badger" defended his belt with a first-round knockout of Adriano Ramos in March before he only needed 63 seconds to also knock out former ONE Championship standout Reece McLaren for his second successful title defense in July.
Colby Thicknesse Welcomes Asaf Chopurov to the UFC in Abu Dhabi
It didn't take long after news of Chopurov's UFC signing broke for speculation to kick off regarding his debut opponent, and Marcel Dorff was the first to report that the bantamweight standout will face Colby Thicknesse at UFC 333.
A former HEX Fight Series bantamweight champion in his native Australia, Thicknesse brought a 7-0 record into his promotional debut against Aleksandre Topuria at UFC 312 last February but lost that fight via unanimous decision.
"Slickness" rebounded later that year by defeating Josias Musasa, and in May he secured his second UFC victory when he also took a decision over Vince Morales at UFC Perth.
With the addition of Thicknesse vs. Chopurov, UFC 333 now has a total of 11 scheduled fights with just about a month to go until the event.
UFC 333 Fight Card
Main Event: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev - For the UFC Featherweight Championship
Co-Main Event: Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3 - For the UFC Men's Bantamweight Championship
Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Ramazan Temirov
Alexander Volkov vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Aaron Pico vs. Losene Keita
Dominick Reyes vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Abus Magomedov vs. Cam Rowston
Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev
Grant Dawson vs. Nuruloo Aliev
Jacob Malkoun vs. Abubakar Vagaev
Colby Thicknesse vs. Asaf Chopurov
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as UFC Signs Top MMA Prospect for Highly-Anticipated Debut Fight at UFC 333.