"Abu Dhabi or Hobby Lobby it don’t matter" - Bryce Mitchell makes bold "decision" and "KO" prediction for UFC 294 main and co-main event
UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell has made a bold prediction for UFC 294's main and co-main event this weekend.
The Abu Dhabi card will be headlined by Islam Makhachev defending his lightweight title against Alexander Volkanovski for the second time. The Australian accepted the fight on just 11 days notice, following the news that Charles Oliveira had withdrawn due to injury.
The clash is a repeat of their Fight of the Year contender bout at UFC 284, which saw Makhachev pick up a unanimous decision win.
For the co-main event, Kamaru Usman was also drafted in as a late replacement for Paulo Costa. The former welterweight kingpin accepted the fight on 9 days notice, and will face Khamzat Chimaev at 185lbs. Dana White has also confirmed that the winner will face Sean Strickland for the title in 2024.
Weighing in on the upcoming fights was Bryce Mitchell, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to cast his bold prediction.
According to Mitchell, who recently picked up a decision win over Rob Font, he expects both of the short notice fighters to pick up the victory. He tweeted:
"Abu Dhabi or Hobby Lobby it don't matter. Volk by Decision and Usman by KO."
MMA fans could well see a big return should they bet on Mitchell's prediction too. Per the latest DraftKing odds, Volkanovski will enter the octagon as a +205 underdog, with Usman at +235.
Mark Zuckerberg sends Alexander Volkanovski a video ahead of UFC 294 bout
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has let Alexander Volkanovski know that he's rooting for him against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.
'The Great' took part in an interview with Nina Marie Daniele this week, who revealed to the Australian that she had been sent the video by Zuckerberg to show him. The Australian has recently helped 'Zuck' train in MMA ahead of a rumored charity fight against Elon Musk.
In the video, the tech giant stated that he hoped to see Volkanovski cement his status as one of the greatest MMA fighters in history at UFC 294. Zuckerberg said:
“Hey Volk! Really excited for your fight this weekend. Your last one was already one of the best fights of the year and this time, I’m looking forward to seeing you go out there and cement your status as one of the greatest of all time. Alright, good luck and have fun out there, man.”
Check out the interview here (4:10):