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 title against undefeated Movsar Evloev. But no one could have anticipated that an MMA champion, touted as one of the best prospects outside the UFC, would join them on the card.

As per the latest update from MMA account Pelunaton, the UFC has signed former UAE Warriors bantamweight champion Asaf Chopurov to its 135-pound division following months of negotiations.

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

For a while now, Chopurov has been regarded as one of the best MMA prospects in the world. He is ranked No. 3 on Tapology’s prospect list, while outlets such as Bloody Elbow and MMA Mania have also highlighted his status as one of the best young MMA stars to look out for. Looking at his resume, it’s easy to see why the 24-year-old has attracted so much attention.

His professional MMA record currently stands at 11-0, with only one of those eleven fights going to the scorecards. That means he has finished all but one of his opponents within the distance. However, he had already garnered attention before making his pro MMA debut in September 2023.

As an amateur, Asaf Chopurov amassed a staggering 34-1 record. If you know MMA, you’ll know how difficult it is to compile that record.

Since turning professional, the Azerbaijani-Russian has competed across several promotions. He finally became an MMA champion in October 2025, defeating Demarte Pena at UAE Warriors 64. From there, the Volgograd-based fighter defended his belt twice before finally landing a UFC contract.

But the 24-year-old already has an existing connection to the UFC.

Chopurov is a longtime teammate and training partner of reigning bantamweight champion Petr Yan, who is coincidentally set to defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event of UFC 333 in what will be their trilogy fight. Although it’s unclear exactly when the two started training together, the pair have shared several camps.

Even with a reigning champion in his corner, however, Chopurov didn’t simply wait for the UFC to come calling. He took matters into his own hands and personally emailed top UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.

“I found Sean Shelby’s email and messaged him directly,” he said in a Red Corner MMA interview. “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 in October. 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.”

With his last title defense having come in July, he’ll be ready for a new challenge on October 24 in Abu Dhabi. As such, after the news of his UFC signing went viral, the promotion immediately confirmed a rising bantamweight against him at UFC 333.

Asaf Chopurov to face Colby Thicknesse at UFC 333

The best prospect in the world asked for a difficult challenge for his UFC debut, and the matchmakers have given him exactly that. 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, and the Australian prospect is no slouch himself.

Like Chopurov, the 27-year-old entered the UFC as an undefeated prospect, leaving the Hex Fighting Series bantamweight title behind. However, Thicknesse’s UFC debut against Ilia Topuria’s brother, Aleksandre Topuria, didn’t go according to plan.

The former UFC champion’s brother handed him the first loss of his career with a dominant performance. But following that setback, ‘Slickness’ bounced back with two decision victories to move to an impressive 9-1 record.

Asaf Chopurov, meanwhile, has built a reputation for ending fights before the judges get involved. The last time a fight of his went to decision was back in October 2024.

On paper, Thicknesse has the more valuable experience inside the UFC. Chopurov, however, brings an unbeaten record and a finishing rate that has made him one of the most talked-about prospects outside the promotion. That contrast should make their UFC 333 meeting particularly intriguing.

And Chopurov isn’t the only undefeated prospect the UFC has added recently.

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

Now, Chopurov gets his own opportunity to show what all the hype is about.

The 24-year-old has dominated the regional scene, captured a championship, trained alongside one of the UFC’s current champions and even personally reached out to Sean Shelby to secure his opportunity.

But UFC 333 will offer a very different test.

Will Chopurov live up to the reputation that has followed him into the promotion, or will Colby Thicknesse become the first man to derail the prospect’s rise to the top?