Islam Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294. Several competitors, including Conor McGregor and Jake Paul, have commented on Makhachev’s victory.
Last night’s rematch between Makhachev and Volkanovski was one that had been eagerly anticipated by fans. The Dagestani was initially scheduled to compete against Charles Oliveira, but Oliveira ended up getting hurt and was forced to pull out of the fight. As a result, the Dagestani won the bout.
After a bout earlier this year that was relatively close, Islam Makhachev made sure to leave no room for question in his victory over Alexander Volkanovski this time around. The reigning lightweight champion of the UFC appeared to have the upper hand right from the start of the bout, as Volkanovski had trouble connecting with any big strikes.
Makhachev landed a hard head kick toward the conclusion of the first round, which knocked Volkanovski down. He then proceeded to pound Volkanovski with a barrage of punches, which caused the referee to stop the fight. Makhachev won the round.
Conor McGregor, Jake Paul, and a few other athletes took to X to discuss Islam Makhachev’s knockout victory. The Irishman stated as follows:
“He was always susceptible to that vs. a southpaw.”
In the meanwhile, Justin Gaethje argued that he should be given the opportunity to fight for the title next and said:
Alexander Volkanovski urges the UFC to keep him busy following his loss to Islam Makhachev
After suffering a knockout defeat at the hands of Islam Makhachev in his third bout of the year, Alexander Volkanovski appeared dejected and disheartened. However, in the post-fight octagon interview, the Australian shown a high level of class and praised the UFC lightweight champion on his performance:
“Fantastic setup, and a solid kick. It’s not fun for me, and it always stings when I come in second, but he’s a fantastic champion. To Islam be the credit, what a kick!”
In addition to this, Volkanovski requested that the UFC keep him busy and hinted that he is prepared to defend his featherweight championship against Ilia Topuria in January 2024:
“I would like to take this opportunity to ask the UFC to help keep me occupied. When I’m not engaged in combat, I don’t perform very well. I had no choice but to accept this bout since I was driving myself insane whenever I wasn’t sparring. Please find something for me to do because I’m looking forward to going back in January.