UFC president Dana White recently announced UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Twitter, revealing the main event of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveira on Saturday, October 21. This lightweight title bout will also be the main event for the card.
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White also announced middleweight fighter Paulo Costa’s next fight as he takes on Khamzat Chimaev. Ikram Aliskerov, who was scheduled to fight Costa next weekend in Salt Lake City, will instead be facing Nassourdine Imavov in Abu Dhabi.
Talking about the Makhachev vs Oliveira bout, the pair faced off in 2022 at UFC 280. At the time Oliveira was champion and was upset by first-time challenger Makhachev through a second-round submission. Neither fighter has lost a fight since that encounter, and Oliveira will be looking to get revenge. Makhachev, in particular, is on a twelve-match winning streak and recently defended his title against featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski.
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Oliveira shook off his loss to Makhachev at UFC 289 where the Brazilian beat Beneil Dariush with strikes in round 1. He has won 12 of his last 13 fights, with the sole loss coming at the hands of Makhachev, making the fight at UFC 294 one that fans will be anticipating heavily.
Chimaev vs Costa and Imavov vs Aliskerov complete UFC 294 card
Costa vs Chimaev is another fight that UFC fans are looking forward to. The bout has been long hyped and teased and it is finally coming to fruition in October. Chimaev is 6-0 in the UFC, while Costa is coming off a brutal win over Luke Rockhold, though both fighters haven't fought this year. Speaking about this fight Dana White said, “Let me just say this: he and Chimaev do not like each other. This should be one hell of a fight.”
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On the other hand, Imavov will be looking for his first win this year and to bounce back from a defeat to Sean Strickland in January. Aliskerov will be looking to build on his UFC career after a first-round win over Phil Hawkes in May.
