Iasmin Lucindo, Daniel Santos win at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi
Lucindo controlled Nicolle Caliari in the all-Brazilian opener, and Daniel Santos edged Bolaji Oki by unanimous decision
Both Brazilians on the UFC 333 early prelims won on Saturday (Oct. 24) at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Iasmin Lucindo beat Nicolle Caliari by unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three cards, and Daniel “Willycat” Santos edged Belgium’s Bolaji Oki, also by unanimous decision, 29-28 across the board.
The results opened a night with two title fights: Alexander Volkanovski against unbeaten Movsar Evloev for the featherweight belt, and the trilogy between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title.
How Iasmin Lucindo beat Nicolle Caliari
The all-Brazilian fight opened the event and came with baggage. At Friday’s weigh-ins, Caliari came in at 120.5 pounds, 4.5 over the strawweight limit, and the bout went ahead at a catchweight. As VF Comunica reported, 30% of her purse went to Lucindo.
Once the cage door closed, the 24-year-old from Fortaleza was in charge from start to finish. According to official UFC stats, Lucindo landed three of her four takedown attempts and logged 9:27 of control time, 7:25 of it on the mat. Caliari had just 2:15 of control.
Most of that time came from top position, inside Caliari’s guard and half guard. That is notable, because Caliari earned her UFC contract on the grappling side: she won on Contender Series with an armbar and took her last fight with an arm-triangle choke. In Abu Dhabi, she did not attempt a single submission.
Lucindo’s return after her suspension
It was Lucindo’s first fight since August 2025, when she beat Angela Hill. In between, she served a nine-month doping suspension, which she blamed on a contaminated supplement. She is now 19-6 in MMA and 6-2 in the UFC.
Caliari, 29, has now lost three of her four UFC fights and falls to 9-5. Her weight miss was the second by a Brazilian in the UFC in less than two weeks. Before her, Ismael Bonfim missed the lightweight limit and was cut after losing.
Willycat outpoints Bolaji Oki at featherweight
Daniel Santos, 31, from Uberaba, Brazil, and a member of Chute Boxe Diego Lima, got back in the win column after a TKO loss to Dooho Choi in May, a fight that earned Fight of the Night. Against Oki, all three judges gave him two of the three rounds. He improves to 15-3.
It was Willycat’s fifth UFC win and his third since moving up to featherweight. According to his official UFC profile, he trains with Charles Oliveira, who said this week that the UFC won’t let him compete in jiu-jitsu.
Oki, who dropped from lightweight to featherweight after back-to-back stoppage losses, has now lost three straight and falls to 10-5.
What is still to come at UFC 333
The main card starts at 2 p.m. ET on Paramount+. In the main event, Volkanovski has vowed to finish Evloev, who is 10-0 in the UFC. In the co-main event, Yan and Dvalishvili settle a rivalry that stands at one win apiece.
UFC 333 results at the time of publication:
- Daniel Santos def. Bolaji Oki by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kody Steele def. Noah Gugnon by TKO (punches) at 3:54 of round 1
- Iasmin Lucindo def. Nicolle Caliari by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), catchweight
Does the win over Caliari put Iasmin Lucindo back in the conversation for a spot in the strawweight top 15? Let us know in the comments.
Read more:
- UFC 333 weigh-ins: Nicolle Caliari misses by 4.5 pounds
- Volkanovski vows to finish unbeaten Evloev at UFC 333
- Ismael Bonfim cut by UFC after his third weight miss
