Image via UFC 284 Live
At UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, Islam Makhachev defeated home favorite and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision to keep his lightweight title.
Russian Makhachev beat a determined Volkanovski in a close match thanks to his offensive wrestling and counterstrikes.
In the event that Makhachev, 31, wins, Volkanovski, 34, who was seeking to win two championships, would no longer hold the top spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.
The UFC promoted the battle as the first-ever encounter between Makhachev, the number two-ranked fighter, and Volkanovski, their current pound-for-pound champion.
Volkanovski, who has dominated the featherweight division since capturing the title in 2019, was moving up to lightweight in the hopes of becoming the sixth simultaneous double UFC champion, joining Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes, Daniel Cormier, and Henry Cejudo.
In the meantime, Makhachev was making his first championship defense since defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in October.
Because of his larger frame, the Russian was a strong pre-fight favorite with bookies. Pundits claimed that his superior wrestling would make the difference, but the bout ended up being much closer than some had anticipated.
In contrast, Makhachev wore a serious, focused expression as he was booed as he entered the ring, while Volkanovski was greeted with a raucous round of applause by the Australians inside the RAC Arena.