Expect fireworks in the main event of UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday as lightweight champion Islam Makhachev takes on featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski in a rematch of his Fight of the Year candidate earlier this year. The two champions went head-to-head at UFC 284 in Australia on February 11, but it was Makhachev who won the hard-fought clash by unanimous decision and retained his lightweight title.
On Saturday, Volkanovski will get another chance to become a two-division champion after Makhachev’s original opponent, Charles Oliveira, withdrew due to a cut he sustained in training. Volkanovski told Yahoo Sports he accepted the fight with just 11 days’ notice so that one day his “picture will be on people’s walls.”
The co-main event also features a short-notice replacement in former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, filling in for the staph-infected Paolo Costa and taking on undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at 180 pounds. Usman will make his middleweight debut after accepting the Chimaev fight on just ten days’ notice.
Stay tuned to Yahoo Sports and follow our live tracker below for all the stacked card news and results.
UFC 294 Live Results, Highlights, Analysis
Date: Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023
Time of the preliminary rounds: 10 a.m. ET
Main card time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
TV: PPV
Streaming: ESPN+ PPV
UFC 294 Main Card Results, Odds, Highlights (Live Now on ESPN+ PPV)
• Lightweight Championship: Islam Makhachev (C) (-275) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (+225)
• Middleweight: Khamzat Chimaev defeated. Kamaru Usman by majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
• Light heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker ends in a no-contest (unintentional foul) at 3:13 of R1
• Middleweight: Ikram Aliskerov defeated. Warlley Alves by TKO (knee, punches) at 2:07 of R1:
• Bantamweight: Said Nurmagomedov def. Muin Gafurov by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:13 of R1:
Complete UFC 294 prelims results and highlights
• Flyweight: Muhammad Mokaev def. Tim Elliott via submission (head-and-arm choke) at 3:03 of R3
• Lightweight: Trevor Peek defeated. Mohammad Yahya by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Bantamweight: Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry ends in a no contest (accidental low blow) at 0:15 of R2
• Middleweight: Sedriques Dumas defeated. Abu Azaitar by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Lightweight: Mike Breeden defeated. Anshul Jubli by KO (punches) at 3:00 of R3:
• Featherweight: Muhammad Naimov defeated. Nathanial Wood by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Women’s Strawweight: Viktoriia Dudakova defeated. Jinh Yu Frey by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Middleweight: Shara Magomedov defeated. Bruno Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)