This Saturday, UFC 294 will be broadcast live from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and will have an impressive lineup. Even though both of the featured fights underwent last-minute adjustments, the organisation was still able to secure interesting replacements.
Said Nurmagomedov and Muin Gafurov’s bantamweight match will open the main card section of the event. It will be intriguing to see which fighter can rebound and get back on track in the competitive 135lb class given that both are coming off defeats.
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Ikram Aliskerov will make his octagon comeback in the second fight against former TUF Brazil champion Warlley Alves. Aliskerov is taking part in competition for the first time since his promotional debut in May of last year, when he defeated Phil Hawes with a stunning knockout. Nassourdine Imavov, who was forced to pull out of UFC 294 in order to fight Alves, was originally supposed to face the former contestant from the Contender Series.
A key light heavyweight matchup between former title contender Magomed Ankalaev and No. 7-ranked Johnny Walker will also be part of UFC 294. Ankalaev will be in action for the first fight since UFC 282 in December of last year, when he battled Jan Blachowicz to a split draw for the light heavyweight title that was then open. Given that previous champion Jamahal Hill is presently recovering from an Achilles rupture, the fight may act as a title eliminator.
Khamzat Chimaev will face Kamaru Usman in what UFC President Dana White has referred to as a middleweight title eliminator matchup in the co-main event. The former welterweight champion, who stepped in after Chimaev’s original opponent, Paulo Costa, was forced to withdraw from the fight, will have the chance to add his name to the list of competitors who have competed for a championship in two different weight categories.
In the main event of UFC 294, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will defend his title against the current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who will take Charles Oliveira’s place after the latter withdrew due to an unpleasant cut he received during a sparring session.
Since their spectacular main event at UFC 284, fans have been clamouring to see Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2. Unanimous verdict allowed the lightweight champion to successfully defend his title, which caused controversy because many spectators thought Volkanovski had won. It will be intriguing to watch whether Alexander Volkanovski wins the two-division title at UFC 294 and if the company immediately schedules a trilogy fight.
