Islam Makhachev set to rematch Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 with Charles Oliveira out

By Cole Shelton - October 10, 2023

Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski are set to run it back in the main event of UFC 294.

Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 284

The folks at the Overdogs Podcast just announced that Charles Oliveira is out of his lightweight title fight on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi against Makhachev, and Volkanovski has agreed to step in on short notice to rematch Makhachev in less than two weeks. ESPN has since confirmed the news.

https://twitter.com/cclegaspi/status/1711925899782754398

Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski fought back in February in the main event of UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. The fight was very competitive but it was Makhachev who got the decision to defend his belt for the first time. Since their matchup, Volkanovski beat Yair Rodriguez by TKO at UFC 290 in July, while Makhachev hasn’t fought since.

Islam Makhachev (24-1) is coming off the win over Volkanovski and before that, to win the title, he scored a submission win over Charles Oliveira. The Dagestani native is riding a 12-fight win streak and has notable wins over Bobby Green, Dan Hooker, Thiago Moises, Drew Dober, and Arman Tsarukyan among others.

Alexander Volkanovski (26-2) defended his featherweight title back in July with a third-round TKO over Yair Rodriguez. Prior to that, he suffered his first UFC defeat at the hands of Makhachev in his attempt to be a champ-champ. Volkanovski has defended his featherweight title five times and holds notable wins over Max Holloway, three times, Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, and Korean Zombie among others.

With Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2 now official, UFC 294 is now as follows:

  • Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski
  • Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Muin Gafurov
  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Warlley Alves
  • Tim Elliott vs. Muhammad Mokaev
  • Sedriques Dumas vs. Abu Azaitar
  • Jinh Yu Frey vs. Victoria Dudakova
  • Bruno Silva vs. Sharabutdin Magomedov
  • Mohammad Yahya vs. Trevor Peek
  • Anshul Jubli vs. Mike Breeden
  • Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry
  • Nathaniel Wood vs. Muhammad Naimov


Topics:

Alex Volkanovski Charles Oliveira Islam Makhachev UFC