Daniel Santos Earns Unanimous Decision Win Over Bolaji Oki at UFC 333
Daniel Santos earned a unanimous decision victory over Bolaji Oki on the early prelims of UFC 333 on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. All three judges scored the featherweight bout 29-28 for Santos, delivering a clean scorecard result after three competitive rounds.
Santos entered the fight with a 13-3 professional record and a 4-2 mark in the UFC. Oki came in at 10-4 overall and 2-3 inside the promotion. The Brazilian was looking to rebound from a second-round TKO loss to Doo Ho Choi in May, while the Belgian fighter had dropped two of his previous three Octagon bouts.
The opening round saw both men trade strikes at range. Santos mixed in leg kicks and looked to close distance, while Oki used his reach advantage to work jabs and keep the shorter fighter at bay. Referee Jason Herzog oversaw a measured first frame that media scorecards split, with some observers giving the edge to Oki and others to Santos.
Santos increased the pressure in the second round. He pressed forward, missed on a takedown attempt, and later executed a clean throw that drew a reaction from the crowd. Oki responded by driving Santos against the cage and landing body work. Santos answered with additional leg kicks before the round ended, and the judges ultimately awarded him the frame.
The third round stayed close until the final minutes. Santos continued to land leg kicks and worked spinning elbows as Oki looked for counters. Oki connected with a body shot that visibly hurt Santos, but the Brazilian scrambled free and landed additional elbows before the horn. Media outlets that tracked the bout scored the round for Oki, yet all three official judges saw the fight 29-28 for Santos.
The result improves Santos to 14-3 overall and 5-2 in the UFC. It is his first win since a 21-second second-round TKO of Joo Sang Yoo at UFC 320 in October 2025. Oki drops to 10-5 and 2-4 in the promotion, extending a stretch in which he has lost three of his last four UFC appearances.
UFC’s official account noted that the scorecards were clean across the board. The decision keeps Santos active in the featherweight division after the loss to Choi and gives him a decision victory on a card headlined by title fights involving Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev.
Santos, nicknamed “Willycat,” has now won five of his last six UFC bouts. His record includes stoppages and decisions, and the Abu Dhabi win moves him back into the win column after the May setback. Oki, who fights out of Belgium, remains a rangy striker whose recent results have been mixed against higher-level opposition.
The bout was the third fight on the early preliminary card. It followed Iasmin Lucindo’s decision win and Kody Steele’s first-round knockout, and it preceded the remainder of the prelims and main card in Abu Dhabi. No post-fight bonuses were attached to the result at the time of the decision.
Santos will look to build on the unanimous decision when the UFC books his next featherweight opponent. Oki returns to the drawing board after another close loss on the scorecards. The early prelims continue in Abu Dhabi, with ranked matchups and two title fights still ahead on the main card.
