This UFC 294 PPV card is one of the highest anticipated events on the UFC schedule this year. The already star-studded event was changed drastically last week with Alexander Volkanovski and Kamaru Usman stepping up on short-notice to fight in the co-main and main events.
The main event is a rematch between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski, and it’s got everyone talking about it. The first fight caused a lot of uproar throughout the MMA community about how they thought Volkanovski deserved to get the nod on the scorecard.
Did Makhachev deserve to win? Will he be able to back it up this time around? Let’s take a look and try to determine how this rematch might play out.
Islam Makhachev – Is He The Truth?
Since Volkanovski is so widely enjoyed around the world, the biases of a lot of fans might have shown earlier this year. After rewatching their first fight without volume, Makhachev won arguably four out of five rounds.
This is a chance for Makhachev to be surrounded by his people, his team, and the UAE fans who support him dearly. He will be able to prove why he’s the best in the world, and even someone as skilled and determined as Volkanovski won’t take his belt away.
The size advantage, wrestling acumen, and striking skill set of Makhachev might be too much for anybody at 155lbs. We will get a definitive answer on Saturday whether or not he’s the true pound-for-pound #1 that he claims to be.
Alexander Volkanovski – The Perfect Storm
The truth is that you can look at this short-notice opportunity for Volkanovski in two ways: exactly that, a massive opportunity or a setup for him to get exposed. Volkanovski wouldn’t take this fight unless he truly believed he could win, though,
Volkanovski held his own against Makhachev better than we have seen anybody in recent history. Even with the massive size disadvantage, the Australian featherweight champion was able to slowly beat down the lightweight champion and actually win round 5 on every scorecard.
This might be the perfect storm for a guy like Volkanovski to show up without much preparation and just leave it all out in the octagon–doing what he loves and letting his years of training take over. But the lack of preparation might come back to bite him with the lack of conditioning and an elbow that is pretty fresh off surgery.
Makhachev vs. Volkanovski Pick and Prediction
The official betting prediction for this exciting lightweight title fight at UFC 294 is that Makhachev is going to get his hand raised and remain world champion.
It’s not smart to bet against Makhachev in this situation, even if you love Volkanovski like many people do. There’s nothing wrong with backing your guy, but the smart bet is to take Makhachev to win inside the distance at plus-money.
The patience, the adjustments, everything about Makhachev points to being too much for someone who has no physical advantages over him.
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