A highly anticipated rematch between quite possibly the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world is more than enough to get UFC fans excited. That’s only one of the incredible matchups planned for this weekend though as UFC 294 will being the octagon back to Yas Island.
The lightweight championship will once again be on the line in a rematch of one of the best main events in recent memory, with the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings likely also on the line. Plus, a former champion and top contender will both move up a division to try and climb the rankings there and two of the best light heavyweights will square off with championship implications.
Light Heavyweight bout: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker
Fresh off of a main event draw against Jan Blachowicz last year, Magomed Ankalaev sits at 17-1-1 and holds the second spot in the light heavyweight rankings. An absolute destroyer, nine of his 17 wins have come by knockout, including a devastating finish of Anthony Smith. He also hasn’t lost since 2018 and has won nine straight since. Ankalaev is obviously a dangerous striker who loves to put on a show.
Luckily, for the fans, the same can be said about Johnny Walker. Coming into this fight with a 21-7 record, Walker has racked up 16 knockouts in his career, including one over Paul Craig, who handed Ankalaev his only loss. Walker is currently the seventh-ranked light heavyweight and he’s been a staple in the rankings for some time now. Unfortunately for him, he just hasn’t been able to get over the hump. A win against Ankalaev would change that.
My pick: Ankalaev via 2nd round knockout
Middleweight bout: Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev
This is a very interesting matchup between two of the best welterweight in the world… at middleweight. Kamaru Usman was a long-time champion who dominated the welterweight class before dropping his belt to Leon Edwards. Now, he’s moving up a class to face a new set of challengers and look to impose his will en route to climbing the rankings once again.
Oddly enough, Chimaev is doing the exact same thing. The fourth-ranked welterweight, Chimaev boasts a perfect 12-0 record with six knockouts and five submissions. Most recently, he submitted Kevin Holland late last year. Now, he gets a huge opportunity to face the former welterweight king and prove he belongs among the best of the best. It will be very interesting to see what either of these fighters have planned for their futures and whether or not both will stick to middleweight.
My pick: Usman via decision
Lightweight Championship bout: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Back in February, the UFC treated its fans to one of the best fights of all time. Any time you can manage to get two of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world to meet in the main event with a championship on the line, you are guaranteed to see fighting at its highest level. That’s what we got last time, that’s what we’ll get this time.
Islam Makhachev is the hottest thing in the sport right now. With a 24-1 record and 11 submission victories, he has smashed his way through the lightweight division en route to capturing the title last year. In their first meeting, it was Makhachev’s overwhelming power and grappling capability that earned him the victory, I would expect him to come in with a very similar gameplan this time around. If it aint broke and all that. And the scary thing is, even is Volkanovski knows this (and you can bet he does) there is little he can do to stop it. If Makhachev gets a hold of his opponent, the fight is already very close to being finished.
That being said, Volkanovski made some great adjustments in the first fight and managed to keep much of the bout on the feet. The quicker and more athletic fighter, Volkanovski will look to keep at a distance where he can work his world-class striking game. Since their last meeting, Volk went back to featherweight and successfully defended his championship in a dominant performance against Yair Rodriguez, bringing his record to 26-2 with 13 knockouts. Now, he has another chance to become a two-division champ in what is sure to be another instant classic.
My pick: Volkanovski via decision
UFC 294 will be held Saturday, October 21 at 2 PM ET. Fight fans can order the pay per view through ESPN+ and receive a special offer: $124.98 for UFC 294 and an ESPN+ annual plan. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view for $79.99.