The title superfight, which headlined UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, ended at the 3:06 mark of the first round after the Russian’s left highkick sent the Australian to a knockdown before finishing his shocked opponent with hammerfists.
In a post-fight interview, Makhachev said he was ready to accept a fight with any opponent the UFC puts up against him, while Volkanovski said he hadn’t given up on the idea of making a title defense against Elijah Topuria in January.
In the co-main event, undefeated Hamzat Chimaev extended his UFC winning streak to seven matches with a three-round majority decision win over former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
After holding a quick takedown in the opening five minutes, “Borz” took his opponent’s back and controlled him until the half-time bell, making unsuccessful attempts to finish the Nigerian. Usman stayed on his feet most of the time in the second and third rounds, owning a slight advantage in the standup, while Chimaev noted several good translations, eventually picking up the fight win by scores of 29-27 twice and 28-28.
According to the UFC’s plan, the winner of this middleweight showdown is scheduled to challenge the division’s reigning champion, Sean Strickland.
The third event of the tournament, which featured Magomed Ankalaev and Johnnie Walker, ended in the first round with no result announced, as the doctor decided that the Brazilian welterweight, who missed a banned knee strike near the net from the Russian, could not continue the fight.
Walker, who did not respond to the doctor’s questions during the conversation, was outraged by the stoppage and attempted to continue the fight with Ankalaev, prompting not only security officials but also UFC chief Dana White to enter the cage.
Other results included successful performances by Russian fighters Ikram Aliskerov, Said Nurmagomedov, Victoria Dudakova and Sharabutdin Magomedov.
Aliskerov knocked out Brazilian Worley Alves already in the first round, Nurmagomedov guillotined Tajik representative Muin Gafurov in 63 seconds, Dudakova won by unanimous decision of judges over American Jin Yu Frey, and the debutant of the organization “Shara Bullet” at the end of three rounds with a score of 30-27 three times defeated experienced Brazilian Bruno Silva, showing a bright performance.
Muhammad Mokaev and Mike Breeden recorded early victories. The Briton finished Tim Elliott with an arm-triangle choke in the third round, while the American knocked out Anshul Jubli in the final five minutes.
All UFC 294 tournament results.