Islam Makhachev set to defend belt against Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi

UFC president Dana White recently revealed some explosive matchups for UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi. He announced that an exciting lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira would headline the card. This would be the second time the two 155-pound juggernauts meet in the cage. 

The two world-class lightweights previously fought for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 last October. Makhachev put on a grappling clinic to submit the Brazilian in the second round to be crowned champion. In the aftermath of their fight, ‘do Bronx’ made it clear that he wanted a rematch, and Makhachev seemed keen to grant him one. 

In a recent video posted to his social media handles, Dana White stated:

“I’m here to announce that the card everyone has been waiting for, we had it done. Abu Dhabi, UFC 294 on Saturday, October 21st, the main event – Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight title in the rematch against Charles Oliveira.” 

After their last fight at UFC 280, Charles Oliveira redeemed his loss to Islam Makhachev with a stunning first-round TKO win over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 last month. Meanwhile, Makhachev defended his belt against Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision in a closely contested match at UFC 284. 

What other fights have been announced for UFC 294 in October? 

UFC 294 is set to go down at the Etihad Arena on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. Apart from a rematch between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, Dana White also announced two other blockbuster matchups.

In the same video mentioned above, White also revealed that Paulo Costa will face Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight battle. This news shed some much-needed light on ‘Borrachinha’s recent pulling out from his bout against Ikram Aliskerov next weekend. 

While several media reports had hinted at the Brazilian pulling out to fight ‘Borz’ in Abu Dhabi, White’s announcement confirmed the speculations. Considering their mutual dislike for each other, this fight is expected to bring fireworks to UFC 294. 

Khamzat Chimaev has a perfect 6-0 record as a professional fighter. He last blitzed Kevin Holland via first-round submission in September 2022. Meanwhile, Costa hasn’t competed since beating Luke Rockhold last August, which snapped his two-fight losing skid.

Lastly, Dana White announced that Ikram Aliskerov has been re-scheduled to fight Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 294.