2023-10-21 20:35:03
A brilliant victory in the first round. Islam defended the championship belt and closed the dialogue with the Australian.
The outcome of the first fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski, which took place in February in Perth, raised doubts among the fans of the Australian. The UFC featherweight champion himself demanded a rematch, intending to fight anywhere. His wishes were fulfilled, but the result was unlikely to suit the fighter.
Makhachev simply smashed his opponent’s head. A brilliant victory for the Russian in the first round.
Volkanovski left on short notice
The lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski was the main event of the evening at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. The Russian and the Australian already met in February of this year: then it all ended with a judge’s decision in favor of our fighter, although the opponent looked decent in the octagon. The UFC featherweight champion even complained that he overestimated the capabilities of his opponent.
Some former UFC stars, like Daniel Cormier and Nate Diaz, questioned the judge’s decision. Later there was a scandal with an IV – they tried to accuse Islam of cheating, although no solid evidence of violations might be found. A rematch was planned, the fighters were not once morest fighting each other once more, but it just didn’t come down to specifics.
Volkanovski eventually went to fight Mexican Yair Rodriguez and defended his UFC featherweight title for the fifth time. The Russian was preparing for another rematch; his opponent in Abu Dhabi was supposed to be Charles Oliveira. But the Brazilian was injured and had to urgently look for a replacement.
The Australian agreed to come out on short notice just a couple of months following undergoing hand surgery. He was hardly in the best shape, and besides, in the UAE, Alex might not count on the support of the stands, which clearly helped him in the first fight. It is not surprising that the bookmakers preferred the Russian in this pair. But these were preliminary arrangements, and what was worth waiting for in the cage?
Knocked it out, but wasn’t happy
But there was no sensation in the cage. At the very beginning of the fight, Alex started actively and tried to demonstrate that he was capable of winning. Islam was in no hurry to force events, tried options in the fight, but also without much success – Volkanovski neutralized his opponent at the net. And then Makhachev surprised everyone: he kicked him in the head and finished off his already clearly lost opponent. The duology ended with the knockout of the year, this dispute between champions is definitely closed.
Open video
After the fight, Islam did not show joy and explained why he did not show emotions.
“I did not celebrate the victory today because of the situation that is happening in the world, in Palestine. Stop it! Palestine, Gaza Strip, we are with you, our prayers are with you! — Makhachev said on Match TV.
Watch live broadcasts of UFC tournaments on the Match TV and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
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