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MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski rematch that headlines UFC 294.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC 294.
UFC 294 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.
Daniel Cormier gets a taste of Khamzat Chimaev’s middleweight strength in the fourth installment of UFC 294 “Embedded.”
The UFC is back for its regular fall trip to Abu Dhabi, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 294 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.
In the main event, lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) takes on featherweight champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC), who once again will try to become a two-division titleholder. Volkanovski stepped up on short notice when Charles Oliveira pulled out. He lost to Makhachev in the UFC 284 main event earlier this year in Australia.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is at middleweight after he badly missed weight a little more than a year ago at 170 pounds. He takes on former welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC), who will make the move up to 185 for the first time – and on short notice after Paulo Costa pulled out.
The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
Champ Alexander Volkanovski supports a teammate. Johnny Walker gets in a sweat. Champ Usman Nurmagomedov visit’s Khabib’s new gym. At media day, Kamaru Usman reveals his motivation and Khamzat Chimaev challenges a heavyweight.
Also see:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
Alexander Volkanovski thinks Islam Makhachev is making excuses by saying he didn’t have enough time to rehydrate for UFC 284.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] is making excuses by saying he didn’t have enough time to rehydrate for UFC 284.
Makhachev outlasted Volkanovski after five hard rounds February in Perth to retain his lightweight title. Makhachev complained about having less time to rehydrate in Australia, due to the official weigh-ins being later in the afternoon – as opposed to the usual early morning. That prompted Volkanovski’s teammate Dan Hooker to accuse Makhachev of using intravenous (IV) therapy to replenish after weigh-ins, which is an illegal practice.
Now Makhachev will run things back with Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) in his adopted home country in Abu Dhabi in Saturday’s UFC 294 headliner at Etihad Arena, and expects all the advantages to be on his side this time around.
“He needs all the advantages he can get,” Volkanovski said during Thursday’s press conference. “That’s all he thinks about. I don’t need none of that. I’ve got these (hands) – that’s all I worry about. I rely on my skills – not crowds, not nothing.”
Makhachev fired back, and isn’t buying Volkanovski’s motive for the rematch.
“Everybody knows what you need: just money,” Makhachev said. “That’s it. … You have to say thanks to me. I can choose any other opponent. We have (Mateusz) Gamrot, we have (Dustin) Poirier, everybody ready for this fight for the belt, but I give you second time chance. Say thank you – that’s it.”
When asked how he’s going to deal with a stronger and better conditioned Makhachev now that he’ll have more time to rehydrate, Volkanovski was left baffled.
“Are you telling me him rehydrating for 30 something hours isn’t enough?” Volkanovski said. “He’s going to be stronger with 40 hours? Is that really what we’re relying on over here? You don’t back your skills? I don’t get it.”
Makhachev smirked, and insisted that time will tell.
“Be patient,” Makhachev said. “I’ll show you my power and everything Saturday night. … You don’t need to recover.”
You can watch their full exchange in the video above.
UFC 294 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
Alexander Volkanovski sets aim at being a defending UFC champ-champ.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] is getting a second go at achieving his dream of becoming a two-division UFC champion.
The UFC featherweight titleholder is moving back up to 155 pounds to challenge champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 294 at Etihad Arena. Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) took the fight on 12 days’ notice, as he’s replacing an injured Charles Oliveira.
Although Volkanovski has a tough task in order to become UFC champ-champ, his dream is to be much more. Volkanovski wants to be a defending double champion, something that basically hasn’t been done on the men’s side of the UFC.
“That’s why I wanted to make a point of this whole, I can keep two divisions busy,” Volkanovski told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 294 media day. “That was a goal of mine. I’ve been saying it for a while. I want to do that. I understand what they want to do. They’re like, ‘Come on, we don’t want to hold two divisions.’ But I think I’ve proven that I wouldn’t.”
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Volkanovski was rumored to fight in January prior to accepting the short-notice bout against Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) at UFC 294. He was expected to fight unbeaten contender Ilia Topuria.
The 35-year-old is confident he can win the UFC lightweight belt on Saturday and then make a quick turnaround and fight Topuria three months later.
“Obviously, I want to do January,” Volkanovski said. “I want to come out here, be double champ and keep two divisions busy. I don’t know when Gaethje is looking to get back in there, but there’s obviously a lot of exciting fights at lightweight. We’ll see what happens, but I do want to keep two divisions busy.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski got an official first look at each other on UFC 294 fight week at the pre-fight press conference.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] got an official first look at each other on UFC 294 fight week after Thursday’s pre-fight press conference.
Champion Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) and challenger Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) will rematch in Saturday’s lightweight title main event, which takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+.
After Charles Oliveira suffered an injury, Volkanovski stepped in on 11 days’ notice as a replacement and will attempt to avenge his debatable unanimous decision loss to Oliveira at UFC 284 in February.
Check out the video above to see Makhachev and Volkanovski face off at the UFC 294 pre-fight press conference.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.
This week, the UFC travels across the globe to Abu Dhabi for UFC 294.
The pay-per-view event at the Etihad Arena features [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] 2 for the lightweight title in the main event, and [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] in the co-feature.
Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA Oct. 17-22.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
Contrary to what Islam Makhachev says, Alexander Volkanovski believes “there’s definitely a lot to lose” for himself at UFC 294.
ABU DHABI – UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] couldn’t disagree more with the narrative lightweight champ Islam Makhachev and his team are making of his short-notice opportunity.
Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) took the rematch with Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) on just 12 days’ notice as he replaced an injured Charles Oliveira to headline Saturday’s UFC 294 card at Etihad Arena.
Makhachev and his team have been saying that Volkanovski has nothing to lose given that it’s Makhachev’s lightweight title on the line, not Volkanovski’s featherweight belt, and that he already has a built-in excuse to lose given the tough circumstances he’s accepting the bout under.
However, the Australian fighter couldn’t disagree more.
“This whole ‘nothing to lose’ talk is silly,” Volkanovski told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 294 media day. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of pressure on Islam, and I understand that, but I have to take this rematch that I want so bad – this lightweight title, and we talk about legacy. If I were to lose, my legacy takes a big hit. I don’t get another shot at him. I don’t get another shot at the lightweight title. You know what I mean? Like, how much longer do I have? We don’t know these things.
“There’s definitely a lot to lose for me. I think he takes a big hit with a loss to his legacy, losing to someone who’s the featherweight champ, a division below, coming on 12 days’ notice. Again, there’s a lot of pressure on him. No pressure on me. I’m not letting in the pressure, but there’s still a lot to lose for me.”
This is the second time Volkanovski takes on Makhachev as the two fought in February in Australia. That night at UFC 284, Makhachev defended his title in a very competitive unanimous decision victory. Volkanovski is adamant he won the bout and is determined to prove he’s the better fighter.
The 35-year-old believes that Makhachev wouldn’t have accepted a fight with him if the roles were reversed.
“One thing I want to say, put it this way: If the roles were reversed, this fight is not happening,” Volkanovski said. “I don’t care what anyone says. He’s not fighting on 12 days’ notice, so he needs to remember that.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
Has Khamzat Chimaev 2.0 showed up for UFC 294? His coach speaks to that in the third installment of “Embedded.”
The UFC is back for its regular fall trip to Abu Dhabi, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 294 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.
In the main event, lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) takes on featherweight champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC), who once again will try to become a two-division titleholder. Volkanovski stepped up on short notice when Charles Oliveira pulled out. He lost to Makhachev in the UFC 284 main event earlier this year in Australia.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is at middleweight after he badly missed weight a little more than a year ago at 170 pounds. He takes on former welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC), who will make the move up to 185 for the first time – and on short notice after Paulo Costa pulled out.
The third episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski arrives in Abu Dhabi. Lightweight champ Islam Makhachev melds basketball with Sambo. Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev do intense workouts, then have a virtual sitdown with Chael Sonnen.
Also see:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
It appears Kamaru Usman had an injury scare during the UFC 294 open workouts, all four of which you can watch here.
ABU DHABI – UFC 294 open workouts took place Wednesday inside of Yas Mall, and MMA Junkie was on scene for the festivities.
Participating in the open workouts were lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag], featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag], [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag], and former welterweight champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag].
During Usman’s open workout, Justin Gaethje, who was his partner, can be heard asking Usman “you all right?” as they landed on the mat following a slam. It’s unclear what Usman’s response was or if he was seriously injured. They ended the grappling portion of the workout right after the slam, and Usman continued with some striking.
Gaethje later downplayed what the video appeared to show on X.
He said I’m good or something like that. I thought he hit his head on the mat. I asked him if he hit his head in this clip when we got up and he said no 👊
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) October 18, 2023
He said I’m good or something like that. I thought he hit his head on the mat. I asked him if he hit his head in this clip when we got up and he said no
Makhachev defends his title against Volkanovski in a rematch that headlines UFC 294, and Chimaev welcomes Usman to the middleweight division in the co-headliner.
UFC 294 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.
You can watch all four of the aforementioned fighters’ open workouts below.
Islam Makhachev can’t recall when Alexander Volkanovski knocked out an opponent, so he’s not too worried about it entering UFC 294.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] isn’t taking [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]’s UFC 294 prediction too seriously.
Lightweight champion Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) will run things back with featherweight champ Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner at Etihad Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.
Volkanovski told MMA Junkie that he envisions an early knockout and that he can’t afford to show Makhachev too much respect. Makhachev said Volkanovski’s track record proves otherwise.
“I don’t remember when Alex knocked someone out,” Makhachev told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “He wants to try and pressure me. He wants to make me think about this. I don’t care. Everybody who steps to the cage wants to knock me out, but I stop them all.”
Volkanovski proved to be arguably the toughest test of Makhachev’s career when they battled for five rounds at UFC 284 in February, but “The Great” ultimately fell short by unanimous decision.
Makhachev thinks Volkanovski took the fight on short notice simply for a paycheck. In terms of his personal motivation to fight Volkanovski again, Makhachev says it’s what the fans want – and he gets it on his terms this time.
“Honestly, after the first fight, many people talking about the fight, and many people want to watch this rematch,” Makhachev said. “I’m really happy because right now, they can give me anyone, but I’m really happy because they gave me Volkanovski. Because last time I fought in his arena, his area, but now it’s Abu Dhabi, and everything now on my side.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
