Islam Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight title at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi and silenced his critics. The 31-year-old MMA fighter defeated challenger and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski via TKO in the first round UFC 294, fight card, live stream, highlights, tickets:.
The injury to the Brazilian Charles Oliveira made the rematch of the two champions possible. For Volkanovski, it was likely his last chance to become a double champion in the organization and rise to the ranks of fighters like Conor McGregor. Makhachev won the first encounter on points, but many experts had Volkanovski ahead. With approximately twelve days of preparation, the Australian entered the fight against the heavier Russian, but there was no sign of lack of preparation.
It’s been almost a year since Penn State National Champion Anthony Cassar made his MMA debut, and while the rumblings of “ring rust” may begin to get in the head of a young fighter and his crew, training partner and best friend Bo Nickal is happy to announce there couldn’t be something further from their mind.
Both fighters initially sought the right distance in the first round before the Russian moved into the clinch. There, he was able to trouble the Australian, who managed to break free from the clinch. Then, Makhachev launched a powerful head kick that slipped past Volkanovski’s defense, striking the 36-year-old fiercely on the head. Volkanovski went to the ground, and Makhachev followed up shortly after, prompting the referee to step in and declare the fight over.
Chimaev remains undefeated.
The co-main event featured the emerging superstar Khamzat Chimaev and the former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Chimaev wasted no time and started off aggressively. Within seconds, he initiated a takedown and quickly brought Usman to the ground. While on the mat, the Swedish-born Chimaev maintained control throughout the round but was unable to secure a submission hold. He pummeled his 36-year-old opponent with strikes.
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The second round remained stationary for four minutes because Usman repeatedly feigned the takedown and landed clean strikes in the striking exchanges. Although Chimaev managed to bring his opponent back to the ground towards the end, he couldn’t establish dominance or land any significant strikes. The third round saw Usman starting cleverly. Despite having only eleven days of preparation for the fight – originally, Brazilian Paulo Costa was supposed to face Chimaev – he showed no signs of fatigue, defended the takedown attempts, and delivered precise strikes. However, Chimaev managed to transition back to the ground game two minutes before the end and maintained control there. In the end, the 29-year-old secured victory by a majority decision. Two out of three referees scored the fight as a draw, while one scored it in favor of Chimaev.
Chaos Decision in Ankalaev vs. Walker
The duel between the two light heavyweight contenders, Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker, was supposed to determine a potential challenger for the vacant title in the weight class. After some initial probing in the first minute, Ankalaev attempted a takedown, which the Russian was able to successfully execute. While in the ground clinch against the cage, Ankalaev then attempted a knee strike, which is considered an illegal move in this situation.
The ringside doctor unexpectedly halted the fight because Walker suffered a cut above his eye. The fighters’ confusion escalated into a scuffle involving both the fighters and the referee, leading to utter chaos until UFC President Dana White entered the ring to calm the situation. The fight concluded without a decision as the knee strike was deemed unintentional UFC 294, fight card, live stream, highlights, tickets:.
Jede Kämpferin/jeder Kämpfer erhält 1–5 Sterne, mit denen ihre/seine allgemeine Stärke im Spiel dargestellt wird. Darüber hinaus besitzt jede Kämpferin/jeder Kämpfer eine Sternenbewertung für das Können im Stand und im Bodenkampf sowie für ihre/seine Gesundheit und Techniken.
The Main Card of UFC 291 starts on Saturday night at 4 am. The streaming service DAZN (indicator) shows the fights live on TV and in the app.
