Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira 2, Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa announced for UFC 294
Islam Makhachev’s next title defense is set.
The reigning UFC lightweight champion is slated to face ex-champ Charles Oliveira in a rematch on Oct. 21 in the main event of UFC 294.
The bout was one of three matchups UFC president Dana White announced for UFC 294 on Wednesday night, joining a pair of middleweight tilts: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa and Nassourdine Imavov vs. Ikram Aliskerov.
In addition, White confirmed that a previously announced matchup on July 29 between Costa and Aliskerov has been scratched from UFC 291.
UFC 294 takes place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Makhachev (24-1) is MMA Fighting’s No. 2 ranked male pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The 31-year-old lightweight champion captured the belt in Oct. 2022 with a dominant second-round stoppage of Oliveira at UFC 280. In his first title defense, Makhachev became the first person under the UFC umbrella to defeat Alexander Volkanovski, sending the featherweight champ back down to 145 pounds after a decision win at UFC 284.
In total, Makhachev has won 12 consecutive UFC bouts.
Oliveira (34-9, 1 NC), MMA Fighting’s No. 2 ranked lightweight, rebounded from his title loss to Makhachev with a thunderous first-round stoppage of Beneil Dariush at UFC 289.
Chimaev (12-0) vs. Costa (14-2) is a matchup that has long been teased for the Oct. 21 card. Chimaev is a perfect 6-0 in the UFC but has been sidelined since a first-round win over Kevin Holland in Sept. 2022. Costa, likewise, has not fought since defeating Luke Rockhold in a wild back-and-forth brawl in Aug. 2022, which snapped a two-fight losing skid.
Imavov (12-4, 1 NC) continues to hunt for his first UFC win of 2023 after losing to Sean Strickland in January then fighting to a no-contest due to an accidental clash of heads with Chris Curtis in June. This time around, he’ll do so against Aliskerov (14-1), who impressed in his lone UFC appearance with a first-round knockout of Phil Hawes this past May.
Source: MMA Fighting
