Islam Makhachev has his first title defense set.
After Makhachev won the vacant title at UFC 280 with a submission win over Charles Oliveira, he called out featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski. The Aussie was the backup fighter for the card and the two had a staredown after Makhachev’s win.
Yet, recently, Volkanovski and Makhachev went back and forth on social media accusing one another of why the fight isn’t happening. Now, however, the UFC took to social media to announce Makhachev will take on Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 284 in Perth, Australia on February 11 at the RAC Arena.
The LW belt & P4P status are 𝙊𝙁𝙁𝙄𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔 on the line 👑@MakhachevMMA takes on @AlexVolkanovski in the #UFC284 main event!
— UFC (@ufc) November 12, 2022
This is a fight Volkanovski has been pushing for as he wants a legacy scrap and the chance to become a two-division champion. Yet, he is well aware that he will have his hands full against Makhachev.
“It’s going to be like a David and Goliath, because everyone thinks he’s the strongest man on the planet, best grappling anyone has ever seen,” Volkanovski said to ESPN. “The way they’re talking about him — it’s just going to look incredible when I get the job done.”
Islam Makhachev (23-1) became the lightweight champ back in October with a submission win over Charles Oliveira. The Dagestani native is currently on an 11-fight win streak. Before winning the belt, had notable wins over Bobby Green, Dan Hooker, Arman Tsarukyan, and Thiago Moises among others.
Alexander Volkanovski (25-1) is a perfect 12-0 in the UFC and has defended his featherweight title four times. Last time out, he beat Max Holloway by decision after defending Korean Zombie by TKO. In his UFC career, he holds notable wins over Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, and Brian Ortega.
With Makhachev vs. Volkanovski as the main event, UFC 284 is as follows:
- Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski
- Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa
- Tyson Pedro vs. Mingyang Zhang
- Jack Jenkins vs. Don Shainis
- Justin Tafa vs. Parker Porter
- Joshua Culibao vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan
Who do you think will win, Islam Makhachev or Alexander Volkanovski?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
