In an unexpected twist, the main event for UFC 294, which was initially set to happen at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, has undergone a significant change. The originally planned lightweight title rematch between the former champion, Charles Oliveira, and the current titleholder, Islam Makhachev, will no longer be the main attraction.
This surprising development is due to Oliveira (record: 34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) being forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injury. Reports suggest that Oliveira sustained an eyebrow laceration during sparring, which required stitches, making him unable to participate.
The announcement of this change came from UFC CEO Dana White during a post-event news conference for DWCS 66. This news was later confirmed by the OverDogs Podcast.
As a result of this change, Islam Makhachev is now scheduled to have a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski (record: 26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC). Their initial encounter occurred at UFC 284 in February, where Volkanovski aimed to become a double champion. However, Makhachev emerged as the winner in the main event title fight, securing a unanimous decision victory. Since that win, Makhachev has not competed.
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In contrast, Alexander Volkanovski returned to the featherweight division for his subsequent fight, facing interim champion Yair Rodriguez. Volkanovski triumphed in this bout, securing a TKO victory in the third round, thus unifying the featherweight title at UFC 290.
The revised UFC 294 lineup now features the following matches:
- Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski – Lightweight Title Bout
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker
- Ikram Aliskerov vs. Nassourdine Imavov
- Muin Gafurov vs. Said Nurmagomedov
- Tim Elliott vs. Muhammad Mokaev
- Trevor Peek vs. Mohammad Yahya
- Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry
- Abu Azaitar vs. Sedriques Dumas
- Mike Breeden vs. Anshul Jubli
- Muhammad Naimov vs. Nathaniel Wood
- Viktoriia Dudakova vs. Jinh Yu Frey
- Shara Magomedov vs. Bruno Silva
With the new headline bout featuring Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 294 promises to be an event to remember for MMA enthusiasts.
