Krylov vs Yakhyaev: UFC 333 veteran meets unbeaten 10-0 finisher

Nikita Krylov and Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev meet at light heavyweight on the UFC 333 prelims at Etihad Arena on Saturday 24 October. UFC.com lists Krylov at No. 15, while Yakhyaev is unranked but unbeaten.

Krylov, 34, is known as "The Miner" and has a 31-12 record. Sport24 counts 22 UFC fights for him, the most of any fighter representing Russia, after he spent his early UFC years under the Ukrainian flag. His last four fights have been mixed: knockout losses to Dominick Reyes and Bogdan Guskov in 2025, a third-round knockout of Modestas Bukauskas at UFC 324 in January, and a third-round stoppage loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC 329 in July.

Abu Dhabi is familiar ground for him. He beat Volkan Oezdemir on points at UFC 280 at Etihad Arena in October 2022, and lost to Guskov in the first round at the UFC Abu Dhabi card in July 2025.

Yakhyaev, 25, is a Chechen fighter who competes for Turkey, according to Sport24. He is 10-0 with four knockouts and five submissions. His three UFC fights have lasted a combined 3 minutes 33 seconds: a submission of Raffael Cerqueira at UFC Qatar in November 2025, a win over Brendson Ribeiro, and an 8-second knockout of Julius Walker at UFC Baku in June that Lowkick MMA called the second-fastest finish in UFC light heavyweight history.

That makes this a clear test of experience against momentum. Sport24 noted that a fourth defeat in five fights would likely cost Krylov his ranking, while a win over a ranked veteran would be the biggest of Yakhyaev's career.

UFC 333: Volkanovski vs EvloevSat 24 Oct · Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi See tickets

Source: UFC.com, Sport24, Sherdog: Nikita Krylov, Lowkick MMA, Cageside Press, Sports Illustrated