Islam Makhachev defended his UFC Lightweight Championship against Alexander Volkanovski in a closely contested bout at UFC 284. While Volkanovski lost, his stock has seemed to only go up. Read our thoughts from UFC 284 below.
The UFC returned down under with UFC 284 this past weekend. Expectations are high when an event is promoted with the first-ever main event between the number one and two pound-for-pound fighters (depending on who you ask). While the fight card wasn’t what many hoped for, it largely delivered and was capped off by a battle for the ages.
Find the full UFC 284 results here.
Makhachev reigns supreme, Volkanovski proves P4P greatness
Two of the best MMA fighters on the planet went toe-to-toe for five rounds, with both men having their moments. Going into the fight, many thought Makhachev would be too big, too strong and too good for Volkanovski.
Instead, we saw Volkanovski put on an incredible performance. While in a losing effort, he took Islam to the brink and finished the fight on top.
Throughout the fight, both men had their moments with multiple knockdowns on either side, Makhachev taking the back several times and Volkanovski finishing the fight on top, landing some vicious ground and pound.
When it went to the judge’s scorecards, it seemed that Makhachev had done enough to get the decision, which he did with the three judges scoring the bout 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.
Following the decision, many of the MMA community began shouting about robbery. The fight was not a robbery but raised the same judging criteria issues that arise in these closely contested, high-profile matchups. The main scoring criteria is damage, not control. But what is damage?
Makhachev had minutes of ground control time in several rounds. But there was little damage landed, with Volkanovski mostly landing the more damaging shots, sometimes from the lesser position. Either way, the fight was close, and Makhachev got the decision. A rematch may occur further down the line, but both men have some worthy challengers to defend their respective belts for the foreseeable future.
Makhachev has a killer’s row at Lightweight that he still has to challenge. Fights against the likes of Beneil Dariush, Rafael Fiziev, and Arman Tsarukyan loom large as tough tests.
Volkanovski comes out of UFC 284 as the bonafide star he should have been for years. Having the opportunity to fight in his home country and perform strongly has allowed Volkanovski to shine. He is a true star of the sport now, with fans all across the globe, even though he lost.
Volkanovski’s next challenger has risen, with Yair Rodriguez winning the interim UFC Featherweight Championship in the UFC 284 co-main event. Rodriguez dominated Josh Emmett throughout the fight, eventually finishing the fight in the second round. The two men will likely fight in mid-2023.
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Australia’s Next Wave Rises, Some Disappoint
In his hometown, Jack Della Maddalena (‘JDM’) rose to the occasion and continued his rapid ascent through the sport. JDM lost his first two professional bouts, but in the 14 fights since, he has won every bout by finish, bar one. In the UFC, he now has four fights and four first-round finishes. JDM has the crisp boxing, strong grappling and size needed to compete in the UFC Welterweight division. 2023 looks to be a big year for JDM, with a UFC-ranked opponent likely in his next bout.
In the early prelims headliner, Jack Jenkins, from Melbourne, Australia, made a successful UFC debut, winning by unanimous decision against Don Shainis. Jenkins was super impressive, showcasing his brutal leg kicks and, more importantly, solid takedown defence. Jenkins’ leg kicks are so brutal that they have broken three separate opponents’ legs before. It will be exciting to see Jenkins work his way through the competitive UFC Featherweight division.
Shoutouts to Justin Tafa, Josh Culibao, and Jamie Mullarkey, the other Aussies to get a win at UFC 284.
Rest of the Card
Great to see Jens Pulver finally get into the UFC Hall of Fame. Nice touch to have his live reaction on the screen as well. Pulver was the UFC’s first Lightweight Champion and regularly does UFC watch-along livestreams.
Jimmy Crute vs. Alonzo Menifield was crazy.
Exciting finishes from Kleydson Rodrigues and Loma Lookboonme.
Zubaira Tukhugov definitely got robbed.