American lightweight Kody Steele faces France's Noah Gugnon at UFC 333
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The gist
American lightweight Kody Steele fights France's Noah Gugnon on the UFC 333 early prelims in Abu Dhabi.
Both won their last bout by first-round submission, so the prelim carries momentum.
Background
Kody Steele is an American lightweight (8-1, 31) who earned his UFC spot through the 2024 Contender Series as a grappler who developed a varied striking attack. His UFC debut was a Fight of the Night loss to Rongzhu, and an injury layoff kept him out until May 2026, when he submitted Dom Mar Fan by heel hook in Perth. Noah Gugnon is a French lightweight (10-2, 26) nicknamed "Guns" who debuted in August with an 81-second submission win in Belgrade. The bout sits on the early prelims of UFC 333 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, headlined by Alexander Volkanovski defending the featherweight title against Movsar Evloev.
How it unfolded
- May 2, 2026Steele registered his first UFC win, submitting Dom Mar Fan by heel hook in four minutes at a UFC Fight Night event at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
- Oct 19, 2026The UFC published its fight-by-fight preview for UFC 333, listing Steele vs Noah Gugnon as a prelim lightweight bout at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
- Oct 20, 2026Doc's Sports listed opening odds of Steele -158 and Gugnon +135 for the October 24 bout.
- Oct 21, 2026Fightnews and a Sherdog preview both covered the lightweight pairing; Sherdog listed Steele at -155 and Gugnon at +130.
- Oct 23, 2026UFC 333 weigh-in results listed Kody Steele (156) vs. Noah Gugnon (156) on the early prelims.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Sherdog described Steele as one of the more prepared prospects on the 2024 Contender Series, a grappler by background who developed a varied striking attack applied with sustained pressure.
- Caution
- RotoWire wrote that Steele can get incredibly sloppy when forced to stand for long periods, throwing wild, loopy shots and running headlong into counterpunches, and said it does not expect the fight to be competitive if it hits the mat.