The rivalry between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski was put to rest in a violent and definitive fashion when Makhachev retained his UFC lightweight championship with a brutal first-round knockout at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
Volkanovski stepped up on short notice in an attempt to win a rematch over Makhachev after the featherweight champion fell short earlier this year. But perhaps no amount of preparation could have prepared him for the head kick that Makhachev threw that sank the Australian fighter in the opening minutes.
Their first fight was a closely contested affair that Makhachev won in February, but it was clear that Volkanovski closed the fight strong and may have made the proper adjustments to fare well in a rematch. That rematch came sooner than expected when Charles Oliveira was forced to pull out of the fight with Makhachev with an eye injury. Volkanovski stepped up and set the stage for a legacy-defining fight.
But it would be Makhachev who put his own legacy in full motion by putting any thought that Volkanovski had his number to rest.
It started off well for Volkanovski as he stuffed an early takedown but Makhachev prodded with leg and body kicks to set the stage for the finishing sequence.
After escaping a Thai clinch, Makhachev created space and launched a kick high that crashed into Volkanovski's head and sent him to the canvas. Makhachev chased the featherweight champion to the canvas with a wicked series of punches until the referee pulled him off at the 3:06 mark.
With the rivalry put to rest, Makhachev will take on all comers at lightweight while Volkanovski will head back to featherweight and defend his title once he heals.
In the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev earned a middleweight title fight by defeating Kamaru Usman by majority decision. Usman also stepped up on short notice after Paulo Costa was forced out with an elbow injury.
But the former welterweight champion realized he had his hands full early as Chimaev earned a 10-8 round in the opening frame with a takedown and total domination. Usman climbed back into the fight as Chimaev seemingly suffered a right hand injury that caused him to slow down his attack. A closely contested final round saw Chimaev secure another takedown late to win the fight. However, with an injured hand, it appears that Chimaev's middleweight coronation may have to wait.
Here's how it all went down in Abu Dhabi.
UFC 294 results, highlights
Islam Makhachev shuts down Alexander Volkanovski with first round knockout
Round One: Islam working kicks as Volk looks to get his range. Makhachev nearly scores a head kick but is blocked. Makhachev shoots for a takedown and Volkanovski shrugs it off. They clinch along the cage. Volk working in knees and punches. Thai clinch by Makhachev and Volk escapes. Body kick from Islam. Left hand lands for Makhachev. Head kick by Mackhavhev, down goes Volkanovski, punches and kicks later it's over!
SN Unofficial Scorecard: --
3:52 p.m. ET: The main event is up next as Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski meet again for Makhachev's lightweight title. Legacy is on the line and we're going to round by round coverage from here on out.
Khamzat Chimaev takes majority decision over Kamaru Usman
3:43 p.m. ET: A strong first round provided the distance for Chimaev to take a majority decision. Two judges had it 29-27 for Chimaev while a third gave the final two rounds to Usman but with a 10-8 round the fight ended up being a 28-28 draw. Chimaev's big win lines him up for a middleweight title fight next. Good luck to whoever is holding that title when "Borz" comes knocking.
3:38 p.m. ET: Usman put up a spirited effort in round three in the standup but Chimaev dragged the fight to the canvas and controlled the second half of that round. They stood and banged for the final 10 seconds but it looks like Chimaev will take home the victory.
3:32 p.m. ET: Not a whole lot happened in round two aside from a late Chimaev takedown. Did Chimaev take his foot off the gas just to conserve energy? We'll see as we enter the final round.
3:27 p.m. ET: Absolute domination by Chimaev in round one. He immediately took Usman down, took his back and flattened him out. Between punches and fishing for a choke, Chimaev nearly finished the fight. However, Usman managed to survive the early onslaught to escape the first frame. A 10-8 round for sure.
3:19 pm. ET: Kamaru Usman steps in on short notice to face Khamzat Chimaev next in the co-main event!
Magomed Ankalev and Johnny Walker ends in controversial No Contest
3:09 p.m. ET: Make it make sense! Ankalev hit Walker with an illegal knee while Walker was down. The action stopped and the same referee that argued with Victor Henry that he didn't get kicked low -- even though Henry was immediately taken to the ER -- stopped the fight on what appeared to be confusion over a question he asked Walker. Chaos ensued as an upset Walker attempted to restart the fight and Ankalaev wanted to continue. Fortunately, Dana White restored order but it's an unfortunate ending for a highly anticipated matchup.
2:48 p.m. ET: We're closing in on the main and co-main event but this light heavyweight tilt between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker has high stakes for a division that has been volatile with injuries and upsets.
Ikram Aliskerov obliterates Warlley Alves in one round
2:43 p.m. ET: That went exactly as you'd expect as Aliskerov hurt Alves with a jab, followed it with a flying knee and finished him with a barrage of punches. It took just two minutes to get the job done. The UFC is going to have to match him up with better opposition. He only has one loss in his career and that was to Khamzat Chimaev. After a snooze of an undercard we now have two first-round finishes in two fights.
2:34 p.m. ET: Ikram Aliskerov attempts to continue his rapid rise up the middleweight ranks in a showdown with Warlley Alves. This might be the biggest mismatch on the entire card. But we'll have to see what happens with the fight starts.
Said Nurmagomedov secures quick guillotine submission win over Muin Gafurov
2:23 p.m. ET: Sheesh. Gafurov made the mistake of sticking his head right into a Nurmagomedov guillotine and was forced to tap before going to sleep in just 73 seconds. Nurmagomedov now owns two of the fastest submissions in the history of the division.
2:21 p.m. ET: We're kicking things off with Said Nurmagomedov facing Muin Gafurov in a battle of bantamweights.
1:59 p.m. ET: Muhammad Mokaev improved to 5-0 in the UFC with yet another submission in the final round. It was a scrappy fight with Tim Elliott but Mokaev used a beautiful takedown, quickly advanced position and clamped on an arm triangle with just under two minutes left. The prelims weren't great but hopefully business will pick up on the main card.
1:08 p.m. ET: Well, things did not pick up. As a matter of fact, they slowed down. An inadvertent low blow from Javid Basharat to Victor Henry rendered Henry unable to continue and that fight ended in No Contest. Whew. Tough sledding so far at UFC 294.
12:41 p.m. ET: Hello everyone, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of UFC 294. After a trio of ho-hum decisions, we got our first knockout of the day as Mike Breeden came from behind to stop Anshul Jubli in the final round. But then we went back to another relatively lackluster fight with Sedriques Dumas sneaking by Abu Azaitar for a unanimous decision. Hopefully, things will pick up.
UFC 294 fight card
Main card
- Islam Makhachev def. Alexander Volkanovski via 1st round knockout (head kick & punches) (3:06) to retain the UFC lightweight title
- Khamzat Chimaev def. Kamaru Usman via majority decision (29-27, 29-27 & 28-28)
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker ends in No Contest (3:13)
- Ikram Aliskerov def. Warlley Alves via 1st round TKO (flying knee, punches) (2:07)
- Said Nurmagomedov def. Muin Gafurov via 1st round submission (guillotine choke) (1:13)
Prelims
- Muhammad Mokaev def. Tim Elliott via 3rd round submission (arm triangle) (3:03)
- Trevor Peek def. Mohammad Yahya via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 & 30-27)
- Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry ends in No Contest
- Sedriques Dumas def. Abu Azaitar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28)
- Mike Breeden def. Anshul Jubli via 3rd round KO (punch) (3:00)
- Muhammad Naimov def. Nathaniel Wood via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28)
- Victoria Dudakova def. Jinh Yu Frey via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28)
- Sharabutdin Magomedov def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27)