The UFC has announced an additional matchup for the UFC 333 event set to take place on October 24 at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena. Bolaji Oki will be moving down to the featherweight division to face off against Daniel Santos in a preliminary bout, offering fans another exciting fight between two popular fighters. Sources confirmed the pairing to Heavy.com, though neither competitor is currently ranked in the UFC Media or Meta rankings.
Bolaji Oki, a 30-year-old Belgian fighter, has made considerable impact on the regional circuits in the Netherlands and Belgium. Undefeated in the LFL promotion, he also claimed the Atomic Fighting Championship title in 2022 and defended it once before earning a UFC contract by knocking out Dylan Salvador on Dana White’s Contender Series. In his UFC debut in 2024, Oki won a split decision against Timmy Cuamba. However, his subsequent UFC outings have been a mixed bag, including a submission loss to Chris Duncan and a TKO defeat by Mason Jones, before being knocked out by Manoel Sousa earlier this year. Now dropping to featherweight, Oki is looking to avoid a third consecutive loss with a win over Santos.
Daniel Santos, 31, hails from Brazil and is known for his exciting fighting style. Since beginning his professional career in 2013, Santos posted a strong 9-1 record before competing in major promotions like ACA and Brave CF. Despite a delayed UFC debut in 2021 due to injuries and COVID-19 cancellations, he showed promise by finishing John Castañeda for his first UFC win and later earning a unanimous decision over Johnny Muñoz Jr. After gaining momentum with victories over JeongYeong Lee and JooSang Yoo, Santos suffered a knockout loss to DooHo Choi earlier this year. He now aims to bounce back against Oki in what promises to be a thrilling encounter.
UFC 333 – Abu Dhabi (October 24th) Fight Card Highlights:
– Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev
– Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili
– 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. Nurullo Aliev
– Asaf Chopurov vs. Colby Thicknesse
– Abubakar Vagaev vs. Jacob Malkoun
– Daniel Santos vs. Bolaji Oki
Fan Take: This matchup highlights the depth and unpredictability of the UFC’s featherweight division, offering fans an opportunity to witness two hungry fighters looking to prove themselves. The outcome could shake up the division’s landscape and inject fresh excitement into the sport with a potential breakout performance from either Oki or Santos.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
