Alexander Volkanovski and the Real Winners and Losers From UFC 333

The UFC 333 card in Abu Dhabi was a great reminder that most people couldn't be a successful MMA fighter. Saturday's event proved that no matter what people think, there's levels to this game.

This looked like an incredibly high-level card before the night began. Thankfully, it fully delivered a set of winners and losers that even Big Dave from down the pub, that guy who swears he's getting a spot on Dana White's Contender Series, wouldn't want to square up to.

It now feels like Aaron Pico is in the UFC proper .

The Bellator knockout artist scored his first Octagon TKO victory with a faultless performance against Losene Keita on Saturday. The potential banana skin couldn't have gone any better after his original opponent, Arnold Allen, dropped out a few weeks back.

Pico planted the seed right away with an instant takedown that pushed Keita onto the back foot. The Belgian's defence immediately shifted as he tried to stay off the floor. Pico spotted it and planted a beautiful right, sending his opponent to the mat with a delayed stanky leg that would soon lead to Keita failing to defend himself properly.

A few seconds later, Pico hit the 'SIUUUUU' celebration à la Cristiano Ronaldo.

He then called out Lerone Murphy for a rematch after "The Miracle" took him out in his UFC debut. If the win over Patricio Pitbull got Pico rolling on the TKO brand, beating Keita builds significant momentum before potentially trying to get that loss back next time out.

Alexander Volkov's unanimous decision victory over Rizvan Kuniev might be the second biggest thing to happen to him this week.

This new character he's playing — the one who stood up and asked a confused Dana White for tips on how to be an MMA fighter during the midweek presser — has an edge about him. He's mocking Dana and the UFC.

Volkov should really be on a seven-fight win streak. No matter what you think about the Ciryl Gane loss, he should have had a title shot before Josh Hokit. Well, the new energy might just provide the spark to make something happen.

The 38-year-old was comfortable against Kuniev. He was rangey, mixed his offence up nicely, and was probably a few seconds away from winning via submission. The Russian then used his post-fight interview to address Dana again, asking what he needs to do to get a shot at gold.

He needed to make a statement. Stand out. While the fight didn't manage that in terms of entertainment, Volkov's newfound swagger on the mic should ensure Dana can't ignore him much longer.

Losers: The Flyweight Division (It's STACKED)

"Respectfully, anyone can get it," said Lone'er Kavanagh after his superb victory over Ramazan Temirov.

He might sound like a polite English gentleman, but Kavanagh is a scary dude. He's a scary dude who just landed an uppercut from hell on the chin of another scary dude who many would have said was even scarier heading into their Abu Dhabi fight.

The flyweight division is absolutely stacked. Heeding Kavanagh's words for a moment, there are so many unbelievable fights that could be made. Should Joshua Van prevail against Manel Kape in January, could the Englishman get a title shot?

Maybe it's a little early, but after that performance — the calmness, the maturity — there's got to be a chance. And you know what? Temirov was maybe a little overzealous, but he didn't look bad in this fight. He landed a couple of nice shots, and that relentless aggression must be an absolute nightmare to handle.

My main overriding point? WHO THE HELL WOULD WANT TO FIGHT ANY OF THESE GUYS? PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET BEATEN UP. Ahem.

Dana might not be interested in the flyweights, but the current crop deserves recognition for their consistent excellence.

The main question heading into the Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili trilogy fight was whether or not it would be more like the first or second fight. In truth, it was a fusion of both; one where both fighters showed exactly how they'd beaten each other before.

You could have slowed Merab's movement to half speed in the first two rounds, and he'd still be moving faster than most. Yan almost looked like he was getting ready for bed, slow and methodical.

Merab laid on the takedowns with an aggression that was tiring to watch. Like the second fight, Yan shrugged most of them off while analysing the patterns that would lead him to success. While Merab undoubtedly took the first two rounds, the smile in the third after getting hit signalled a shift in momentum.

Things looked a little one-dimensional for the challenger from there. Yan started to work the body, with Merab reacting to a shot to his liver by grabbing Yan's leg and trying for another takedown. He attempted 58 and landed just five. When Yan landed a lovely head kick in round 4, Merab slowed, and the champion's patience once again led him to success.

We didn't see Merab or Yan dominate as they did in their previous wins over each other. What we did see was two perfect partners who rounded off a classic trilogy in a memorable way. I hope no MMA fans were caught out by the early start time — this was well worth tuning in for as it happened.

It doesn't need to be said again, but Alexander Volkanovski is a bona fide legend.

The Australian stepped into the Octagon at 38 years old, at 145lbs, and put on a clinic against a 20-0 Movsar Evloev. Volk landed the finish and ended an unbeaten run that stretched 12 years across MMA and seven in the UFC.

The best thing for Volk is that it never looked like he would lose. As soon as the bell sounded, he was in control. There was a little shimmy early on in round 1 that showed he was feeling himself. A confident step that told Evloev that he was in trouble.

Then came a moment at the end of the opening round that confirmed it. Evloev tried to drag Volkanovski down from behind. Volk, like his Street Fighter character Joe, shrugged it off without any trouble.

Round 2 came around, and it was curtains. Volk's uppercut grazed his opponent, but then the right landed flush. Evloev just froze. He turned away from the fight and was ready to get out of there.

There was still time for the champion to offer a little more, though. Volk, in true Volk fashion, said there's probably at least another fight in him…

It'll give him a chance to extend his record for featherweight title-fight wins, which he broke on Saturday, surpassing the legendary Jose Aldo.