The UFC is back in Australia for the first time since UFC 243, and there are two titles on the line this weekend. Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight championship against Alexander Volkanovski, and Yair Rodriguez will battle Josh Emmett for an interim featherweight title.
Watch the main event of UFC 284 live on Saturday, February 11, from RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Main Event
The UFC 284 main event will be a battle for pound-for-pound supremacy. The lightweight title is on the line as Islam Makhachev defends his championship against Alexander Volkanovski. The fight is expected to be a barnburner.
The fight is scheduled to start at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV and live streamed from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. In the co-main event, Yair Rodriguez will take on Josh Emmett to determine the interim featherweight champion.
Before the card starts, the early preliminary card will be underway on UFC Fight Pass and will feature four fights. Then the main card will begin on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. The UFC 284 results will load on the site at this point and will be updated in real time.
Round 2 – Islamic Makhachev Rocks Alexander Volakanovski
The second round of the main event between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski begins and things get intense quickly. The fighters trade punches in the pocket and the clinch. Then Makhachev takes Volkanovski down and gets him to the ground. He looks to break free but is stopped by a big punch.
After a minute of standing, Volkanovski tries to scramble back up but Islam locks in his hooks and continues landing shots from off of the back. The two men continue trading punches and the horn sounds to end round 2.
Round 3 – Islamic Makhachev Lands Two Takedowns
In the third round of the main event between Islam Makhachev, he scores a takedown against Alexander Volkanovski and quickly lands a pair of submission attempts. The Russian fended off the two submission attempts, but eventually was forced to tap out from the clinch.
During the third round, both fighters traded punches and kicks in the pocket. The clinch started to wear down the Russian but he was able to keep it up for the majority of the frame. He was able to score two more takedowns in the fourth round before he was finally forced to tap out.
With only 90 seconds remaining, Volkanovski tries to get the fight back on the feet but Islam is able to lock in his takedowns and scores another. He continues to take Volkanovski to the mat, while he lands some punches and kicks from the back.
The clinch has been a huge part of the fight and it’s a great way to keep the fighter in the clinch. Ultimately, it’s the grappling that wins this type of matchup and Islam Makhachev won this round with his superior wrestling.
The judges scored the main event of UFC 284 a 48-47 unanimous decision in favor of Islam Makhachev. However, the mixed martial arts community was divided on who won the fight. Joe Rogan disagreed with the judges’ decision and called it “unfair.” While two of the three judges decided in favour of Makhachev, a third judge felt that Volkanovski had done enough to win.
