Steele vs Gugnon at UFC 333: Both Coming Off First-Round Submission Wins

Kody Steele and Noah Gugnon come into UFC 333 off the same kind of win. Steele submitted his opponent at 3:56 of the first round in May 2026; Gugnon needed 1:21 to do the same in his UFC debut in August. The lightweights meet on the early prelims on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Steele, 31, an American from Port Angeles, trains at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas and is 8-1, with four knockouts, two submissions and two decisions. He has a grappling background and has competed in two UFC Fight Pass Invitationals, yet 97% of his significant strikes in the Octagon have come standing. He lands 3.85 per minute at 33% accuracy, absorbs 6.20 and averages 0.53 knockdowns and 0.53 submission attempts per 15 minutes. He has fought in the UFC since February 2025.

Gugnon, from Spicheren, France, trains at Bulgarian Top Team and is 10-2. None of his 10 wins went to the judges: six came by knockout, four by submission, and seven ended in the first round. His UFC sample is one fight that lasted 1:21, too short for his per-minute numbers to mean much yet.

The question: with both men coming off submission wins, who gets the fight where he wants it first?

The early prelims start at 6 p.m. local time, the prelims at 8 p.m. and the main card at 10 p.m. Get your seat: Steele vs Gugnon tickets.