Tag Archives: UFC 284

Charles Oliveira to Fight UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev in Highly Anticipated Rematch

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Charles Oliveira is hoping to return to the champion’s circle…

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will defend his belt against the 33-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and 3rd degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, a former UFC lightweight champion.

Charles OliveiraThe rematch between Oliveira and Makhachev will be the main event of UFC 294 on October 21 in Abu Dhabi, UFC president Dana White revealed.

ESPN has Makhachev ranked No. 2 in the world pound-for-pound and Oliveira at No. 6. The two fought last October at UFC 280 with Makhachev submitting Oliveira in the second round to win the then-vacant UFC lightweight title.

Makhachev (24-1) is coming off a unanimous-decision win over featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 back in February. The Dagestan native has won 12 straight fights, all in the UFC.

Makhachev, 31, is the longtime training partner and student of former longtime lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Oliveira (34-9, 1 NC) beat Beneil Dariush via first-round TKO at UFC 289 last month to set up the rematch. The Brazilian-born fighter won the lightweight title in May 2021, beating Michael Chandler. But he missed weight in May 2022 before a fight with Justin Gaethje and was stripped of the belt.

Oliveira has the most finishes (20) and submission wins (16) in UFC history.

There had been speculation that Makhachev could face Volkanovski in an immediate rematch following Volkanovski’s dominant title defense against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 on July 8. But Oliveira had been the UFC’s top choice for this fight after running through Dariush last month.

Yair Rodriguez to Face Alexander Volkanovski in Featherweight Title Unification Bout at UFC 290

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Yair Rodriguez has lined up his next opponent…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist, interim champion, has verbally agreed to fight featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 290 on July 8, according to multiple sources.

Yair Rodriguez,The UFC is targeting the featherweight title unification bout as part of its annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

Contracts have not yet been issued or signed.

The 145-pound fight could serve as the pay-per-view headliner, although the UFC has not yet made that official.

Volkanovski (25-2) is coming off a failed bid to become a two-weight champion in February. The Australian moved up to 155 pounds at UFC 284 and lost a unanimous decision to lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.

Volkanovski and his team have been campaigning for an immediate rematch against Makhachev, as the five-round fight was extremely competitive. In the absence of an immediate rematch, however, Volkanovski wishes to stay active and defend his title.

ESPN ranks Volkanovski as tied for the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world with Makhachev.

Rodriguez (15-3), of Chihuahua, Mexico, won the interim title by submitting Josh Emmett in February. That fight also took place on the UFC 284 card in Perth, Australia.

Rodriguez is 4-1 in his past five official bouts, with the only loss coming to former champion Max Holloway.

Yair Rodriguez Defeats Josh Emmett to Become UFC’s Interim Featherweight Champion

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Yair Rodriguez is officially a titleholder…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist is the UFC‘s interim featherweight champion following a masterful finish over Josh Emmett at UFC 284.

Yair RodriguezRodriguez (15-3) submitted Emmett via triangle choke at 4 minutes, 19 seconds of the second round. The 145-pound bout co-headlined UFC 284, which took place on Sunday morning local time at RAC Arena.

The UFC created an interim title because defending champion Alexander Volkanovski (25-2) moved up in weight to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt. Volkanovski came up just short in his bid in the main event of UFC 284, losing to Makhachev by unanimous decision.

Rodriguez went into the fight as a favorite, but Emmett (18-3) had him in trouble early. Emmett, a Sacramento-based fighter, hurt Rodriguez in the opening round with a right hand, which Rodriguez later admitted nearly put him out. Emmett used the shot to get into top position and cause more damage.

Rodriguez regrouped in the second round, however, and started hurting Emmett badly to the body with kicks. Emmett was clearly affected by the shots and started to turn into an easier target for Rodriguez’s versatile offense. He hurt him moments later with an elbow along the fence.

Emmett managed to get Rodriguez to the ground a little later in the round, but Rodriguez stayed active and caught the triangle off his back.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez becomes the second Mexican-born champion in UFC history.

The first, Brandon Moreno, is a two-time flyweight champion who just reclaimed his belt with a victory over Deiveson Figueiredo last month.

Volkanovski, of Australia, will likely look to unify his title against Rodriguez in their next appearances.

Yair Rodriguez to Fight Josh Emmett for Interim UFC Featherweight Title

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Yair Rodriguez is headed Down Under…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist will fight Josh Emmett for the interim UFC featherweight title in the co-main event of the February 11 card in Perth, Australia, according to the UFC.

Yair RodriguezThe UFC is making an interim title, because undisputed champion Alexander Volkanovski will move up to lightweight and challenge champion Islam Makhachev for that title in the UFC 284 headliner.

ESPN has Rodriguez ranked No. 4 in the world at featherweight, and Emmett is ranked No. 7.

Rodriguez (14-3, 1 NC) is coming off a victory over Brian Ortega at UFC Long Island in July. The Mexican-born striker has just one loss in his past five fights.

Emmett (18-2) has won five straight. The 37-year-old California resident is coming off a split decision win over Calvin Kattar in June.