UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is about to step up and save the world and avenge his only UFC loss. Volkanovski agreed on short notice to challenge UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev after Charles Oliveira was forced to withdraw from the UFC 294 main event due to injury.
Makhachev and Volkanovski will meet for a second time on Saturday, October 21, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Champion-versus-champion super showdowns are already rare, but this is the first time two current UFC champions have competed in a two-fight series. Volkanovski faces a tough challenge and needs about 10 days to prepare for a title shot in his heavyweight division. Makhachev defeated Volkanovski via unanimous decision in their first fight, but after giving Makhachev his toughest test in recent memory, Volkanovski’s stock has rose. Makhachev has not fought since February; Volkanovski, meanwhile, defended his featherweight title against Yair Rodriguez in July.
Lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot also looms in the shadows. UFC president Dana White named him the backup fighter for Makhachev vs. Oliveira 2, a role designed to address issues with booking fighters who either underweight or withdraw from the fight. Unfortunately for Gamrot, the UFC moved on to a fight that will almost certainly be more high-profile.
Oliveira suffered a serious brow injury in training that ruled him out of UFC 294, but that’s not the only injury that could seriously impact pay-per-view numbers. UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa underwent elbow surgery four weeks before the fight. Costa insists he will compete in the scheduled co-main event against Khamzat Chimaev; however, the UFC is exploring alternatives. The winner of Costa vs. Chimaev has every reason to challenge UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
Here’s the full fight card for UFC 294 along with the latest odds. Check back all week for the latest news, features and other content from this huge event.
UFC 294 fight card, odds
- Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski, lightweight champion
- Khamzat Chimaev -380 vs. Paulo Costa +300, middleweight
- Magomed Ankalaev-340 VS Johnny Walker +270, lightweight
- Ikram Aliskov-120 VS Nasourdin Imavov+100, middleweight
- Said Nurmagomedov -195 vs. Muin Gafurov +165, bantamweight
- Muhammad Mokaev-500 VS Tim Elliott +380, flyweight
- Mohammad Yahya -135 vs. Trevor Peek +115, lightweight
- Javed Basharat-420 VS Victor Henry+330, bantamweight
- Sedriques Dumas -165 vs. Abu Azaitar +140, middleweight
- Anshul Jubli -420 vs. Mike Breeden +320, lightweight
- Nathaniel Wood-320 VS Muhammad Naimov +250, Featherweight
- Viktoriia Dudakova -360 vs. Jinh Yu Frey +280, women’s strawweight
- Sarah Magomedov-195 VS Bruno Silva +165, middleweight
UFC 294 News
- date: October 21
- Place: Etihad Arena – Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
- Starting time: 2 p.m. Eastern Time (Main Card)
- How to watch: +PPV
