Abubakar Vagaev beats Jacob Malkoun by unanimous decision at UFC 333

Abubakar Vagaev took a narrow unanimous decision over Jacob Malkoun at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on October 24, as MMA Fighting reported, with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28. The result lifts Vagaev to 2-0 inside the UFC.

Vagaev enters the win column again with an overall record of 25-4. The 33-year-old orthodox fighter stands five-foot-eleven, or 180 cm, and carries a 73-inch reach. His UFC debut came on July 25, when he beat Saygid Izagakhmaev by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov. That makes his win over Malkoun his second straight three-round decision in the promotion, and both victories came within three months of each other.

Malkoun, a 31-year-old Australian who fights out of PMA Super Martial Arts, drops to 10-4 with the loss. Known as "Mamba," he had won his last three recorded fights, including unanimous decisions over Torrez Finney on January 31 and Gerald Meerschaert on May 2. Before that, he stopped Andre Petroski by KO/TKO in the second round on March 30, 2024. His numbers show a fighter who leans on pressure and wrestling: 4.55 significant strikes landed per minute at 58 percent accuracy, plus 5.81 takedowns per 15 minutes.

The physical tools were closely matched. Both men are orthodox fighters with an identical 73-inch (185 cm) reach, while Vagaev held a two-inch height edge, at five-foot-eleven to Malkoun's five-foot-nine. With the reach even, the tight 29-28 scorecards fit a fight that appears to have been decided on small margins rather than a clear physical advantage.

Why it matters

• Vagaev moves to 2-0 in the UFC, with both wins coming by unanimous decision.
• Malkoun's three-fight winning run ends, and he drops to 10-4.
• Malkoun's takedown rate of 5.81 per 15 minutes makes the close verdict notable against a bigger, rangier opponent.

The win gives Vagaev early momentum in the promotion, while Malkoun must regroup after his first defeat in more than two years of recorded bouts.