The UFC 294 main event has undergone a major change with Charles Oliveira forced to withdraw from the card due to injury. The former lightweight champion suffered a serious cut on his eyebrow in the fifth round of sparring on Monday night and was unable to make the fight.
Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will now step in to fight lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the main event on October 21 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This is a seismic shift for the upcoming pay-per-view, with Volkanovski stepping in to avenge a razor-close loss to Makhachev when they first met in February. Volkanovski lobbied for an immediate rematch, but he instead went on to defend his UFC featherweight title with a lopsided win over Yair Rodriguez in July. All signs pointed toward Volkanovski defending his belt again in January against Ilia Topuria, but it appears those plans will be put on hold for now as the Australian makes his second attempt at becoming a two-division UFC champion.
Breaking: Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight title in a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294, UFC announced on Tuesday.
Charles Oliveira, originally slated for the bout vs. Makhachev, pulled out due to an injury. pic.twitter.com/y7Y2poBf0W
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 11, 2023
With Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2 in the headliner spot, lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot remains in place as a backup in case either fighter is unable to compete. This is a highly anticipated rematch, with ESPN ranking Volkanovski as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and Makhachev as No. 2. The two fighters first met in February at UFC 284, with Makhachev winning a close unanimous decision in one of the best fights of this or any other year.
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