Mahachev defeated Volkanovski by decision of the jury and topped the ranking of the best UFC fighters
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s successor made us nervous Sunday morning. But it worked.
On February 12, at Moscow time, the grand 284th Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tournament took place in Perth, Australia. In the main fight of the evening, for the first time in the history of the promotion, the octagon shared the second and first numbers of the rating, regardless of weight categories (Р4Р): Russian MMA fighter Islam Makhachev defended the lightweight title. First time in a duel with Australian featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Each of the warriors risked everything. The successor of Khabib Nurmagomedov – the belt and 11-game winning streak, the owner of the cage – the status of the best fighter in the world main promotion and an impeccable record in the UFC (12 wins in 12 fights under the auspices of the league ).
Key figures: The fighters have not been undefeated from the cage since 2015 and 2013, respectively. The odds of Makhachev and Volkanovski parting ways and continuing their streak were extremely low.
Alex had much less chance of winning. According to fans and experts, the huge size difference and Mahachev’s love of recycling opponents in combat will quickly bring down his Australian and domestic audience alike. But Volkanovski was underestimated: a very cautious first lap went to the Russians with a slight advantage thanks to a successful clearing and minute control on the pitch.
In the second round, Mahachev looked even more confident. Despite Volkanovski’s good defense against transfers, Islam did an excellent job on the podium, forcing his opponent to back down several times and wait for the Dagestan storm. But the Australian took the third three minutes: “Wolf! Wolf!” The defiant champion began to beat the Russian’s leg and gradually took the initiative.
The climax came in the championship rounds. Volkanovski, who missed one punch and crashed into the goal, seemed crazy. He began to provoke Mahachev and play for the audience. With the hum of the stadium in Perth, Alex entered the fifth round with a 1-3 lead 20 minutes later. Save the Australian rep and make him only the fifth double champion in UFC history to finish. What the green continent has not seen. However, I saw an unsuccessful ending of the tired Makhachev, who a minute before the end of the fight “stretched” a hard blow and fell under a terrible track in the last seconds of the conflict.
Fortunately, this was not enough for Volkanovsky’s victory over the favorite. Two judges gave Makhachev three rounds, one – four. Islam has successfully defended his title, extending his winning streak to 12 fights, and will be leading the ranking of the best P4P fighters day by day.
About real contestants:
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Most likely, Mahachev will play the second defense against the winner of the Charles Oliveira (Brazil) – Beneil Dariush (USA) match. The fight is expected to take place in May.
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Volkanovski’s next opponent will be Mexican Yair Rodriguez, the promotion’s interim featherweight champion, who caught American Josh Emmett in a triangle in the second round of the UFC 284 joint main event.
Source: Ria
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