At UFC 280, Islam Makhachev defeated former UFC Lightweight champion Charles Oliveira by submission in the second round. Oliveira, who was regarded as one of the division’s most dominant fighters, left many fans asking what went wrong.
For UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, facing Charles Oliveira again in the same venue feels familiar, but his drive hasn’t wavered.
Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) and Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) will square off in the main event of UFC 294 on October 21 in Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena. Preliminaries on ESPN and ESPN+ are followed by the main card on pay-per-view.
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Islam Makhachev Strong To Defeat Charles Oliveira
At UFC 280 in October, Makhachev outclassed Oliveira on way to a second-round submission. Just a year later, they will battle again, and Makhachev acknowledges that the same conditions won’t be perfect.
“I feel the same thing like last year,” Makhachev told ESPN. “In September, I come to Dubai. Same hotel I stay, same training center, nothing changed. I need some new challenge. I like to travel, Australia, bring some guy, new city, new country, something new. When you do all the same things, it’s not fun.”
What drives Makhachev to compete in their rematch if Oliveira was able to run through him the first time? The winner claims that he is always being targeted.
“Last fight I took zero damage,” Makhachev said. “I don’t feel the power from Charles. Maybe he changed something, I hope. … You know why (I’m still motivated)? Because (I) have belt, you look at the belt, and you don’t want to lose that belt. This is big motivation. That’s why I am going to protect my belt. I am training so hard because I know now everybody looks at me, everybody wants to take this belt, but I’m not going to give the chance to anyone.”
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