Less than a month from now, we’ll finally witness UFC 333 in its full glory. Two title fights have been scheduled for the event, with the headliner being Alexander Volkanovski defending his featherweight belt against Movsar Evloev. But no one could have anticipated that a former MMA champion, touted as the best prospect outside the UFC, would join them on the card.  

According to the X account Pelunaton, the UFC has signed former UAE Warriors bantamweight champion Asaf Chopurov to its 135 lbs division, following months of negotiations. 

“🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨 🇷🇺Asaf Chopurov (11-0) has finally SIGNED with the UFC after many months of negotiations. The 24-year-old Russian arrives as the UAE Warriors bantamweight champion and is one of the best prospects outside the UFC,” the outlet wrote. 

For a long time, Chopurov has commanded the status of being one of the best prospects in the world. As such, he is ranked No. 3 on Tapology’s prospect list, and outlets like BloodyElbow, MMA Mania, and others have also described him as such. Looking at his resume, Chopurov earning that title makes perfect sense.

The Russian has proved his mettle since his amateur days. After years on the regional scene, Chopurov amassed a staggering 34-1 record, and that dominance didn’t waver once he finally turned pro in 2023.

Chopurov fought across various other leagues, but he could finally call himself a champion after defeating Demarte Pena at UAE Warriors 64 in 2023. From there, the Volgograd-based fighter went on to defend his belt twice before finally landing the UFC contract.

For those who may not know, the MMA champion already has an established connection in the UFC. He’s a longtime teammate of reigning bantamweight champion Petr Yan, who’s set to defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy at UFC 333. Though it’s unclear exactly when the two started training together, both have shared various camps.

Even with a literal champion as his connection, Chopurov had to email UFC executive Sean Shelby personally to secure his place in the promotion.

“I found Sean Shelby’s email and messaged him directly,” he said in a Red Corner MMA video. “I said hello and told him I was ready to fight on short notice and take on any challenge. This was before my last fight. So, I went into training camp and messaged him once again.

“I wrote, ‘I’m in training camp with Petr Yan, so I’ll be able to fight anyone on October 28. Give me the hardest fight possible.’ Seven days later, he actually replied. I looked through my archives, and there it was. Sean Shelby had replied and given me this fight offer.”   

After the initial news of the 24-year-old finally joining the UFC went viral, it didn’t take long before we learned his scheduled opponent. He’ll be facing Colby Thicknesse at UFC 333 event.

Asaf Chopurov vs. Colby Thicknesse booked for UFC 333 on October 24 

Well, the best prospect in the world asked for a difficult challenge for his UFC debut, and the matchmakers happily obliged. A follow-up report from Heavy.com’s Marcel Dorff confirmed that Chopurov is set to face Alexander Volkanovski’s teammate Colby Thicknesse at UFC 333, who’s no slouch himself.

Just like the Russian, the 27-year-old entered the UFC as an undefeated prospect, leaving the Hex Fighting Series bantamweight belt behind. But Thicknesse met Ilia Topuria’s brother, Aleksandre Topuria, on his debut at UFC 312, and it didn’t turn into a good outing for him.

The former UFC champion’s brother handed him the first loss of his career with a profound domination. But following that defeat, ‘Slickness’ went on to beat two opponents via decision to maintain an impressive 9-1 record. On the other side, Chopurov’s recent fights scream nothing but pure violence.

In his professional career, the Russian has gone to decision only once, back in 2024, finishing every other opponent he’s faced. In fact, his last 3 of 4 fights ended in brutal finishes, with the only win by other means coming via retirement in his first title fight against Demarte Pena at UAE Warriors.

Weighing both records, Thicknesse definitely holds the edge in high-level UFC competition. However, in pure firepower, Chopurov looks far ahead. And sometimes, sheer power can topple every other discrepancy. Still, Chopurov isn’t the only prospect UFC recently signed. 

Dana White recently added 14-0 hot prospect Akbar Abdullaev after his impressive 19-second win over Alex Pereira’s teammate Ednilson Santos at the recent season of Contender Series.

That said, it would be interesting to see whether Asaf Chopurov shines under the bright lights, or if it’s Thicknesse who finally stops the hype train at UFC 333.