Islam Makhachev now holds lightweight striking record after epic KO win over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294
Islam Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 this weekend.
'The Great' was oozing with confidence ahead of fight night, no doubt stemming from the amount of success he had against Makhachev in their first clash.
Whilst Volkanovski surprised fans at UFC Perth with his ability to compete with Makhachev's grappling, the Dagestani was surprisingly successful in the striking realm during their clash in February.
Ahead of their rematch in Abu Dhabi, Islam Makhachev firmly stated that he was a better version of the fighter that had previously faced Volkanovski. The lightweight champion was in fact correct, as he knocked 'The Great' out with a head kick in Round One.
According to MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter, Makhachev now holds a division striking record following his win at UFC 294.
Bronsteter took to X (formerly Twitter) after the event to share the following:
"Makhachev surpasses Justin Gaethje for the highest significant strike accuracy in lightweight history after landing 82% of his significant strikes in tonight's main event."
See the post below:
Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski went to war in Abu Dhabi on 11 days notice, after Charles Oliveira was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.
'The Great' suffered his first stoppage defeat in over 10 years. But the featherweight champion has handled the moment with absolute grace and is already eyeing a matchup with Ilia Topuria in January.
Alexander Volkanovski shares a vulnerable moment following his loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294
Alexander Volkanovski was defeated by Islam Makhachev for the second time at UFC 294 this weekend after being finished in Round One.
'The Great' was knocked out with a stunning head kick, seemingly putting an end to the competitive rivalry between himself and the lightweight champion.
Volkanovski appeared in front of the media following his loss. He shared an unexpectedly emotional moment with the media members about his mental health.
The featherweight king admitted to recently having faced some challenges mentally. He also stated that he may have accepted a short-notice clash with Islam Makhachev too hastily due to his mental state.
During his post-fight press conference, Volkanovski said:
"It really is hard for athletes, I never thought I'd struggle with it. But for some reason when I wasn't fighting or in camp, I was just doing my head in. I needed a fight, and this opportunity came up. And I'll be honest, I wasn't training as much as I should have, but I just thought I had to do it."
Watch the video below from 1:40: