On Wednesday evening, UFC President Dana White announced on UFC social media channels that the lightweight title will be up for grabs at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
White revealed that lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will look to defend his belt in a rematch against Charles “Do-Bronx” Oliveira in UFC 294’s main event. Makhachev submitted Oliveira last year at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi to claim the title.
After UFC 280 Makhachev defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284, beating the reigning featherweight champion in one of the best fights of 2023 thus far. Oliveira notched his own victory, knocking out Beneil Dariush in the first round of their UFC 289 bout.
In addition to the main event, White announced other fights on the card, including an exciting clash between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev.
Costa delivered a memorable performance in his win over former champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 278, and he’s been tasked with putting a halt to Chimaev’s hopes of rising up the middleweight ranks. Chimaev has been looking to get back into the Octagon since his victory over Kevin Holland last September and believes beating Costa will be the perfect way to announce that there is a new contender at 185 pounds.
White also announced that Costa’s original opponent for UFC 291, Ikram Aliskerov, will fight fight No. 13 ranked middleweight Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 294.
Stay tuned to UFC.com for any and all updates to events and fights.
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UFC 294: Makhachev vs Volkanovski 2 took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE on October 21, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
