Islam Makhachev, the current lightweight champion of the UFC, will defend his title against former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 on October 21.The event will also showcase two middleweight bouts: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa and Nassourdine Imavov vs. Ikram Aliskerov. UFC 291 has postponed the fight between Costa and Aliskerov, which was initially scheduled for July 29.
Islam Makhachev , ranked as MMA Fighting’s No. 2 pound-for-pound male fighter, won the lightweight belt in October 2022 with a dominant victory over Charles Oliveira. He then successfully defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. Makhachev holds an impressive 12-fight win streak in the UFC.
Oliveira, ranked as MMA Fighting’s No. 2 lightweight, bounced back from his title loss to Islam Makhachev with a first-round stoppage of Beneil Dariush at UFC 289.
The matchup between Chimaev and Costa is eagerly anticipated by fans. It is also finally set for the October 21 card. Chimaev, with a perfect 6-0 undefeated UFC record, had been sidelined since September 2022.In August 2022 . Costa secured a thrilling victory over Luke Rockhold in his last fight.
Imavov is coming off a loss to Sean Strickland .He also had a no-contest due to an accidental clash of heads with Chris Curtis. He is still searching for his first UFC win in 2023. He will face Aliskerov. Aliskerov made a strong impression in his sole UFC appearance . He had a first-round knockout of Phil Hawes in May. The event will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.