Frosty The Lightweight

Current temperature at Mount Elbrus? A balmy -36 degrees.

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is preparing for his Alexander Volkanovski title defense by jumping in ice water and burying himself in the snow of Mount Elbrus, which makes me wonder if Makhachev realizes he’s training for an MMA contest and not a topless snowball fight.

The temperature in Perth next month will have an average high/low of 88/67.

The UFC 284 pay-per-view (PPV) event will air live on Sat. night (Feb. 11) in the United States and also feature a co-headliner pitting Yair Rodriguez against Josh Emmett. They’ll collide for the interim featherweight belt, a substitute strap designed to keep the 145-pound assembly line moving.

Whether or not the M.I.A. Khabib shows up to corner Makhachev remains to be seen.

Australia has not played host to UFC since before the pandemic and UFC 284 will serve as the first event in Perth since UFC 221 back in early 2018. Other matchups booked for next month include a bevy of local talent, including Tyson Pedro and Justin Tafa, who fight Zhang Mingyang and Parker Porter, respectively.

For the rest of the UFC 284 fight card and PPV lineup click here.