Vagaev vs Malkoun added to UFC 333: Chimaev's teammate moves up to middleweight
Former ACA and WFCA champion Abubakar Vagaev meets Australia's Jacob Malkoun on the UFC 333 undercard in Abu Dhabi.
A middleweight fight between Russia's Abubakar Vagaev and Australia's Jacob Malkoun has been added to UFC 333 at Etihad Arena on Saturday 24 October. AgentMMA reported on 21 September that the bout was in negotiation, and Heavy confirmed it on 23 September, crediting Vestnik MMA with the first report.
Vagaev, 33, is 25-4 and held welterweight titles in both WFCA (Akhmat) and ACA before joining the UFC. He won his UFC debut in July by unanimous decision over Saygid Izagakhmaev, who had replaced the original opponent Magomedrasul Gasanov, and has won his last four fights. He trains with Khamzat Chimaev, and this fight sees him move up a weight class.
Malkoun, 31, is 10-3 and 6-3 in the UFC. He entered the promotion unbeaten in 2020 and comes in on a three-fight winning streak: decisions over Gerald Meerschaert and Torrez Finney and a second-round stoppage of Andre Petroski. He trains with former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
On paper the two are close in size. AgentMMA lists both with a 73-inch reach and an orthodox stance, with Vagaev slightly taller at 5ft 11in against Malkoun's 5ft 9in. Neither man is ranked, so a clear win here would be a big step for either.
FightMag lists the bout on the early prelims, which now include five fights. Heavy noted that this addition took UFC 333 to ten bouts, and the card has since grown to 14.
UFC 333: Volkanovski vs EvloevSat 24 Oct · Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi See ticketsSource: Heavy, AgentMMA (RU), AgentMMA: Malkoun vs Vagaev, FightMag: UFC 333 schedule
