Fight Preview
Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski will clash this Saturday at UFC 294, held at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Makhachev will defend his lightweight title against Volkanovski who looks to become only the fifth simultaneous two-weight champ in UFC history.
Since 2015, Islam Makhachev (24-1) has improved to 13-1 in the UFC, making him the world’s lightweight champion. After successfully defending the championship over Volkanovski in their first encounter, he solidified his status. Charles Oliveira and Makhachev were supposed to fight, but an unexpected cancellation caused a rematch.
In the UFC, Alexander Volkanovski (26-2) had a 13-1 record heading into this bout. He has been in possession of the Featherweight Championship for nearly 4 years, and he only recently defeated Yair Rodriguez to reclaim it. Volkanovski will now face his toughest challenge as he attempts to win two championships in as little as two weeks.
Makhachev narrowly edged out Volkanovski in February via unanimous decision; now, Volkanovski wants a quick-notice rematch to exact revenge and reverse that loss.
Makhachev excels at both wrestling and counter striking, which puts Volkanovski in harm’s way and attempts to take him down early and often. Volkanovski is an exceptional striker himself and will look to capitalize on any mistakes by Makhachev as soon as they occur.
Volkanovski has proven himself as a powerful puncher, evidenced by dropping Makhachev with some strikes in their last fight. Additionally, Volkanovski landed some significant shots to Makhachev’s body while trading shots on the ground; showing no fear to trade with Makhachev in trades that may take him past round three of this bout.
Volkanovski was able to counteract many of the wrestling assaults throughout their first battle, which allowed Makhachev to look unexpectedly successful on the feet. People are going to continue to be astounded by Makhachev’s progress as a striker if he can enter this contest with even more polished boxing abilities.
With a complete training camp behind him, Islam Makhachev is confident and appears to be peaking just in time for this bout.
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Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski Fight Information
- Date: 10/21/2023
- Time: 04:00 PM ET
- Location: Etihad Arena.
- How to Watch Makhachev vs Volkanovski: ESPN+
- Live Stream: BT Sport.com
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