After vacating his heavyweight title, Tom Aspinall now has enough time to watch UFC 333 on Saturday, which features two interesting title fights on the main card.
In the main event, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski puts his 28-4 crown on the line against the undefeated Movsar Evloev (20-0). Right before that, Petr Yan looks to defend his bantamweight throne against familiar rival Merab Dvalishvili in a highly anticipated trilogy bout.
While the heavyweight division is on hold for the 33-year-old veteran, Aspinall is still following the sport closely. He recently revealed his picks for the Abu Dhabi fights. Surprisingly, he avoids backing the challengers in the championship matchups, leaning heavily toward the titleholders to retain their spots.
Tom Aspinall Backs Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan in UFC 333 Title Fights
The five-fight main card starts at 2 p.m. ET and the financial stakes match the hype. Headliner Volkanovski is expected to clear over $1 million, while the undefeated challenger Evloev looks forward to topping his previous high of $324,000.
In the co-main event, Yan targets a purse near the $1.1 million payday he earned against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273, while “The Machine” aims for the $2.6 million mark he once hit against Sean O’Malley. On top of their fight purses, everyone on the card is chasing a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
ALSO READ: Ciryl Gane Claims Tom Aspinall Has a “Fragile Mentality” and Downplays Eye-Poke Impact
Aspinall shared his predictions on social media just before the fights. The 33-year-old former heavyweight champion told fans exactly how he thinks the main card will end.
He expects “The Great” to control the pace and beat the undefeated challenger by decision. Just to recap, Aspinall previously defeated Volkanovski via a first-round submission back in 2022.
Then, he admits the bantamweight trilogy is a close matchup but sides with the champion, saying, “It’s a tough one… I think Yan.”
Tom Aspinall’s picks for UFC 333:
– Alexander Volkanovski
– Petr Yan
– Lone’er Kavanagh
– Alexander Volkov
– Aaron Pico(via @AspinallMMA) https://t.co/hF49JKukDK
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 23, 2026
He also picked the favorites for the rest of the main card. He chose flyweight Lone’er Kavanagh over Ramazonbek Temirov, heavyweight Alexander Volkov over Rizvan Kuniev and Aaron Pico over Losene Keita.
Aspinall, holding a 15-3 record with one no contest, has not fought since UFC 321 on Oct. 25, 2025. An accidental eye poke from Ciryl Gane ended that title fight in the first round at the same Etihad Arena.
Following surgeries and infections, a subsequent training accident damaged Aspinall’s right eye again, forcing him to vacate the belt on Sep. 14. Gane was then promoted to undisputed champion.
Aspinall has no set return date for now. But he made his future clear on Instagram, saying, “Stepping away from the title is not stepping away from the sport or the dream.”
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Now, fans will see just how accurate his predictions are, putting his 11 years of pro career experience to the test.
