The UFC is making a major comeback in Abu Dhabi. For UFC 294 this weekend, the company is back in Yas Island with a packed fight card that underwent significant renovations only one week before the event. In an unlikely rematch of their February encounter, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will defend his title against featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski. In addition, the co-main event will feature a fight between rising middleweight star Khamzat Chimaev and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Shortly after Charles Oliveira had to withdraw from the main event due to a terrible laceration above his eye in training camp, Volkanovski accepted to face Makhachev in a challenge. Paulo Costa, a Brazilian, had to have surgery to treat a terrible staph infection in his elbow, so Usman stepped in to fill the void.
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Islam Makhachev vs Alex Volkanovski Face One Another At UFC: Check Complete Fight Card
On Saturday, Makhachev and Volkanovski will square off one more at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena. Super bouts between two champions, which are uncommon enough, will take place in this two-fight series for the first time. With only about ten days to prepare for a title fight up a weight class, Volkanovski confronts a difficult task. In their first encounter, Makhachev won by unanimous decision, but Volkanovski’s standing increased after giving Makhachev his most difficult test in recent memory. While Volkanovski successfully defended his featherweight championship against Yair Rodriguez in July, Makhachev hasn’t competed since February.
There may be just as many fireworks from the co-headliner as from the main event. Chimaev draws a former champion in his comeback fight after an absence of a year while he awaited a future title fight. In September 2022, Chimaev was handed the lead role facing Nate Diaz, who was retiring. However, Chimaev severely missed weight, forcing a complete reorganisation of the fight card. In the first round, he quickly submitted Kevin Holland, but he has since switched to middleweight full-time in an effort to win the gold. He fights Usman, who is defending his welterweight belt after just suffering two defeats to Leon Edwards. The first of those defeats was a head kick knockout at the very end of a match he had been winning the entire time.
Dana White, the president of the UFC, has stated that the winner of Usman’s fight at 185 pounds will get the next opportunity to face middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
Complete UFC 294 Fight Card, And Odds
- Islam Makhachev -300 vs. Alexander Volkanovski +240, lightweight championship
- Khamzat Chimaev -280 vs. Kamaru Usman +230, middleweights
- Magomed Ankalaev -350 vs. Johnny Walker +275, light heavyweights
- Ikram Aliskerov -600 vs. Warlley Alves +430, middleweights
- Said Nurmagomedov -220 vs. Muin Gafurov +180, bantamweights
- Muhammad Mokaev -450 vs. Tim Elliot +350, flyweights
- Trevor Peek -155 vs. Mohammad Yahya +130, lightweights
- Javid Basharat -550 vs. Victor Henry +400, bantamweights
- Sedriques Dumas -225 vs. Abu Azaitar +185, middleweights
- Anshul Jubli -300 vs. Mike Breeden +240, lightweights
- Nathaniel Wood -340 vs. Muhammad Naimov +270, featherweights
- Viktoriia Dudakova -550 vs. Jinh Yu Frey +400, women’s strawweights
- Shara Magomedov -250 vs. Bruno Silva +205, middleweights
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