Storylines to Watch at UFC 294

Pound-for-pound power struggles always provide plenty of palpable intrigue. Alexander Volkanovski will once again put his featherweight title on ice and move up the scale to challenge Islam Makhachev for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight crown when their rematch shoulders the UFC 294 marquee on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Aussie wound up on the wrong side of a five-round unanimous decision against Makhachev in their first champion-versus-champion superfight at UFC 284 in February, though it was contentious enough that there were immediate calls for a rematch.

The incomparable Volkanovski steps up to the plate as a short-notice fill-in for the injured Charles Oliveira, having rattled off 23 victories across his past 24 appearance. He last competed at UFC 290, where he put away “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” winner Yair Rodriguez with third-round punches to retain his featherweight championship on July 8. Volkanovski’s 13-1 record in the UFC includes three wins over Max Holloway and another against Jose Aldo.

On the other side of the equation, Makhachev appears to have the 155-pound weight class on lockdown. The Khabib Nurmagomedov protégé enters the Octagon on the strength of a 12-fight winning streak that now spans more than eight years. His 13-1 mark in the UFC includes finishes of Oliveira, Bobby Green, Dan Hooker, Thiago Moises, Drew Dober, Kajan Johnson, Gleison Tibau and Leo Kuntz. Makhachev has not fought since he swept the scorecards from Volkanovski a little more than eight months ago.

The Makhachev-Volkanovski rematch and its impact on the immediate future of two divisions is but one storyline to watch at UFC 294. Here are four more:

Title Eliminator

Khamzat Chimaev still has doubters despite a perfect 12-0 record that features 11 finishes. The Allstars Training Center product draws his most significant test to date when he faces Kamaru Usman in the three-round middleweight co-main event. Chimaev, 29, last suited up on Sept. 10, 2022, when he disposed of Kevin Holland with a first-round brabo choke at UFC 279. However, his performance was overshadowed by a garbled post-fight rant and the fact that he missed weight by a whopping 7.5 pounds, which necessitated his move to the middleweight division. A former welterweight champion, Usman makes his 185-pound debut on the heels of back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards, the latest by majority decision at UFC 286 on March 18. The Chimaev-Usman winner will likely move on to challenge Sean Strickland for the undisputed middleweight championship sometime in the first quarter of 2024.

A Question of Resilience

Still a key piece of the UFC puzzle at 205 pounds, Magomed Ankalaev finds himself on the rebound as he enters his light heavyweight showcase opposite former Jungle Fight champion Johnny Walker. Ankalaev saw his nine-fight winning streak come to an anticlimactic end in December, when a split draw with Jan Blachowicz in the UFC 282 main event resulted in a failed bid to claim vacant divisional gold. Where the 31-year-old sambo practitioner goes from here largely depends on whether or not he can clear his latest obstacle. One of the sport’s most volatile and entertaining competitors, Walker answers the call to arms on a three-fight winning streak. The resurgent Brazilian last fought at UFC on ABC 4, where he outpointed Anthony Smith to a three-round unanimous decision on May 13. Walker boasts 19 finishes among his 21 career victories, six of the sub-minute variety.

Proving Grounds

KHK MMA Team middleweight Ikram Aliskerov used Dana White’s Contender Series as a springboard and made quite a splash in his Octagon debut, as he wiped out Phil Hawes with punches a little more than two minutes into their UFC 288 battle on May 6. Aliskerov’s journey deepens when he toes the line against “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 3 winner Warlley Alves—a late replacement for Nassourdine Imavov—in a featured attraction at 185 pounds. The 30-year-old sambo stylist steps back into the spotlight having rattled off six straight victories, five of them finishes. Alves owns an 8-6 record in the UFC, his resume anchored by a December 2015 guillotine choke submission of Colby Covington. The Rizzo RVT rep last competed on Jan. 21, when he dropped a split decision to onetime Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Nicolas Dalby at UFC 283.

Chasing Perfection

Six undefeated fighters—the aforementioned Chimaev chief among them—are slated for action at UFC 294, as the promotion returns to the Middle East for the first time in nearly a year. Beyond Chimaev-Usman in the co-headliner, the event matches Muhammad Mokaev (10-0) with grizzled vet Tim Elliott in the feature flyweight prelim, pits Javid Basharat (14-0) against former Deep champion Victor Henry in an undercard clash at 135 pounds, pairs Anshul Jubli (7-0) with Mike Breeden in a preliminary bantamweight tilt and slots Sharabutdin Magomedov (11-0) opposite onetime M-1 Global titleholder Bruno Silva in an undercard scrap at 185 pounds. Mokaev has parlayed his efforts—they include submission victories against Cody Durden, Malcolm Gordon and Jafel Filho—into a No. 11 ranking in the flyweight division. Many view the Russian prospect as a future title contender at 125 pounds.