UFC 294 (Early) Start Time, Full Fight Details!

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to the pay-per-view (PPV) market this Saturday (Oct. 21, 2023), as UFC 294 goes down from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Headlining the revamped PPV main card will be Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, locking horns with Featherweight roost-ruler, Alexander Volkanovski, for a second time (this year). In UFC 294’s co-main event, former Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, moves up to Middleweight to challenge Khamzat Chimaev after Paulo Costa sabotaged himself once more.

It’s going to be great.

What’s Hot:

It’s not often that a PPV event undergoes a last-minute facelift and ends up better than previously advertised. But, that seems to be the case with UFC 294 after it lost not only its original main event, but the co-headliner, too, all in the span of 24 hours. Charles Oliveira was set to rematch Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound title in the main event before he bowed out as a result of a cut suffered above his left eye during sparring. Stepping in to fill the void is 145-pound champion, Alexander Volkanovski, who took the fight on short notice in an attempt to get revenge on the 155-pound champion who defeated him at UFC 284 earlier this year. Volkanovski has been calling for a rematch ever since the tough loss, which some felt should have gone his way, but getting it on one week’s notice is less than ideal. Forget game-planning, that’s not the issue here. Makhachev was in a full camp, “The Great” was not. It’s that simple. That said, Makhachev has already warned Volkanovski to not use that as an excuse should he come up short a second time. Meanwhile, if Volkanovski can exact revenge, it likely sets up a trilogy fight, which isn’t good news for Lightweight contenders (or Featherweights for that matter) waiting in line for their shots at gold. For Makhachev, another win over Volkanovski enhances his reputation and resume, allowing him to put the dominant 145-pound champion behind him … for good. The first fight was an epic war, and fight fans should expect much of the same this time around.

As for the co-main event, which was supposed to feature Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa, it was scratched after “Borrachina” withdrew as a result of an infection on his elbow that required multiple surgeries.

‘This Is The Result Of A Serious Infection’ https://t.co/zhXtQxpAqj

— MMA Mania (@mmamania) October 17, 2023

Stepping in to take his place is former 170-pound champion, Kamaru Usman, who did the promotion a solid by facing a man no one is in a hurry to get locked in the cage with, much less on super short notice. What Volkanovski and Usman are doing is the ultimate definition of what being a “BMF” is all about (no disrespect to Justin Gaethje, of course). Chimaev has only competed six times since making his UFC debut in 2020, which isn’t exactly how most people expected his career to go after exploding onto the scene. Much of his inactivity is attributed to trying to find opponents to sign on the dotted line at both Welterweight and Middleweight, but it seems the undefeated contender (12-0, 6-0 UFC) is just one win away from a shot at his first-ever UFC world title. And he will try to do that against a man he’s had his eye on from the jump in the former Welterweight deity. “The Nigerian Nightmare” showed how reliable he can be by taking the short-notice fight in a bigger weight class against the Boogeyman himself. Usman hasn’t competed since losing to Leon Edwards a second straight time at UFC 286. While bold and commendable, the move might not work out the way Usman envisions it. While he will get paid handsomely and score brownie points from UFC, it’s a tall task to say the least to face and defeat “Borz” on short notice. Just ask Kevin Holland. Still, “The Nigerian Nightmare” has a golden opportunity to get back into the championship title fight with an upset win.

What’s Not:

There is nothing we can do about the start time, but having a big PPV card start so early stateside just doesn’t feel right. It never has. It takes the big fight night feeling away that we’ve grown so accustomed to over the years. But, if that’s the biggest thing we’re going to complain about with this event, I will take it any day of the week over a weak card.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

Aside from the two aforementioned changes to the main- and co-main events, Nassourdine Imavov was forced out of his scheduled fight against Ikram Aliskerov as a result of visa issues. He was replaced by Warlley Alves, who is on a two-fight losing streak and has lost three of his last four fights. As for Aliskerov, he is coming off an impressive UFC debut, knocking out Phil Hawes in the first round at UFC 288.

Injuries:

The only confirmed injury is the one suffered by Oliveira. “Do Bronx” suffered a cut above his eye while sparring just days before the big fight, which poses the question: When are fighters going to learn that sparring hard a week out from big fights simply isn’t smart? Take a page from Max Holloway, please. Oliveira has been longing for his chance to get the belt back from the man who took it from him only to get it and then lose it in this manner. Pending the result of the main event, there is no telling if and when the Brazilian bomber will get to fight for the title again. Especially if this is even remotely true …

New Blood:

Sharabutdin Magomedov is the latest addition of Russian prospects to join UFC’s roster, bringing his perfect record (11-0) to the world-famous Octagon to face Bruno Silva in a Middleweight affair. Magomedov has 10 finishes, seven in the first round, including a 13-second and eight-second knockout. In short, Silva needs to keep his head on a swivel if he doesn’t want to lose his second straight fight via stoppage.

Mohammed Yaya brings his five-fight win streak from UAE Warriors to the eight-walled cage as he makes his promotional debut against Trevor Peek, who suffered the first loss of his professional career against Jose Mariscal this past summer. All eight of Peek’s wins have come via (technical) knockout, six in the first round. Since Yaya has a 75 percent finish rate, don’t bee too surprised to see this one end early, too.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

In women’s Strawweight action, Viktoriia Dudakova will face off against Jinh Yu Frey. Dudakova is undefeated (7-0), which includes a first round stoppage win over Istela Nunes this past summer due to a gruesome injury. She boasts a 90 percent finish rate with six submissions and two knockouts to her credit. As for Frey, she is in desperate need of a win here because she has lost three straight fights with her last win coming more than two years ago. If she loses her fourth in a row, she could find her name on a the cut list in the coming weeks.

Muhammadjon Naimov will attempt to go two-for-two in his UFC career after making an impressive debut by knocking out Jamie Mullarkey this past summer. “Hillman” is currently on a four-fight win streak and will look to increase it to five straight when he battles Nathaniel Wood in a Featherweight bout. Wood is currently on a three-fight win streak and is 4-1 in his last five fights.

Sedriques Dumas didn’t start his UFC career off on the right foot, losing his debut to Josh Fremd via submission. He bounced back nicely with a unanimous decision win over Cody Brundage, and looks to build on that momentum to climb up the Middleweight ladder when he takes on Abu Azaitar, who suffered his first loss in a decade in his previous fight against Marc-Andre Barriault. That fight, however, was more than 2.5 years ago, so there is no telling if ring rust will be a factor in his comeback fight.

Javid Basharat has quietly won his first three fights in the Bantamweight division all via unanimous decision. Interestingly enough, prior to making his UFC debut, “The Snow Leopard” had finished all 11 of his opponents. He will take on Victory Henry, who owns a 2-1 record under the UFC banner, with his lone defeat coming at the hands of long-time 135-pound stalwart, Raphael Assuncao.

Muhammad Mokaev (No. 11) is on a quest for a Top 10 ranking after winning his first four fights inside the Octagon. If he can score his fifth against Tim Elliott, it should be more than enough to accomplish that feat. But, Elliott is as experienced as they come and his quietly gone 4-1 over his last five fights. The former 125-pound title contender will attempt to hold on to his No. 10 ranking by becoming the first man to hand Mokaev a loss.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

In the Lightweight division, undefeated rising contender, Anshul Jubli (7-0, 2-0 UFC), will face Mike Breeden, who is in desperate need of a win because he has come up short in all three of his UFC fights so far, which includes two first round knockouts in less than 90 seconds. If he comes up short for a fourth time, I just don’t see the promotion keeping him on the roster. If he can’t get the win, a solid performance may not only earn him an extra $50,000, but another shot inside the Octagon.

Interest Level: 9/10

The rest of the PPV main card has three interesting matches, including a Light Heavyweight bout that can have some title implications between Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker. After fighting to a “dull” draw against Jan Błachowicz at UFC 282 in a bout for the vacant title, instead of Ankalaev getting another shot at the strap or re-booking the fight with Blachowicz, the promotion opted to give Jamahal Hill and Glover Teixeira next dibs for the strap. Hill won the fight and then went on to vacate the title after suffering an injury. As a result, Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka will now fight for the vacant strap at UFC 295. So, what does that mean for Anakalaev? It means that if he can get an impressive win over Walker he could make a case for another 205-pound title shot since he is ranked No. 2. For Walker, defeating Ankalaev gets him into the Top 5.

In the Middleweight division, Ikram Aliskerov will attempt to win his seventh straight fight (second under the UFC banner) when he takes on the aforementioned Alves, who took the fight on short notice after Nassourdine Imavov was forced out because of visa issues. Alves is on a two-fight losing streak, but if he happens to come up short (which I think he will), I don’t expect the promotion to cut him after he stepped up to the plate.

Kicking off the PPV main card will be a Bantamweight fight between Said Nurmagomedov and Muin Gafuron. Nurmagomedov saw his momentum come to an end after his four-fight win streak was snapped by Jonathan Martinez, preventing him from cracking the Top 15. He will look to get back into the win column when he battles Muin Gafurov, who came up short in his Octagon debut this past summer, losing a unanimous decision to John Castaneda.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC 294 Fight Card:

UFC 294 PPV Main Event On ESPN+:

155 lbs.: UFC Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev vs. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (not Charles Oliveira)

UFC 294 PPV Main Card On ESPN+ (2 p.m. ET):

185 lbs.: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman (not Paulo Costa)
205 lbs.: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker
185 lbs.: Ikram Aliskerov vs. Warlley Alves (not Nassourdine Imavov)
135 lbs.: Said Nurmagomedov vs. Muin Gafurov

UFC 294 Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (10 a.m. ET)

125 lbs.: Tim Elliott vs. Muhammad Mokaev
155 lbs.: Trevor Peek vs. Mohammad Yahya
135 lbs.: Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry
185 lbs.: Abu Azaitar vs. Sedriques Dumas
155 lbs.: Anshul Jubli vs. Mike Breeden
145 lbs.: Muhammad Naimov vs. Nathaniel Wood
115 lbs.: Viktoriia Dudakova vs. Jinh Yu Frey
185 lbs.: Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Bruno Silva

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 294 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET, before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 294: “Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

https://www.mmamania.com/2023/10/18/23919636/ufc-294-start-time-early-full-fight-details-makhachev-volkanovski-usman-chimaev-abu-dhabi-espn-mma