| UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski | ||||
| Information | ||||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
| Date | February 12, 2023 | |||
| Venue | RAC Arena | |||
| City | Perth, Australia | |||
| Attendance | 14,124 [1] | |||
| Total gate | $4,086,687.70 [1] | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 12, 2023, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. [2]
The event marked the promotion's 16th overall trip to Australia, returning to the country for the first time since UFC 243 in Melbourne in October 2019. [3]
A UFC Lightweight Championship bout between current champion Islam Makhachev and current UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski headlined the event. [4] This was the eighth time in UFC history that champions in different divisions fought for the same title, following UFC 94, UFC 205, UFC 226, UFC 232, UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw, UFC 259, and UFC 277. If successful, Volkanovski would have become the fourth man to be champion in two divisions simultaneously and fifth fighter overall (after Conor McGregor at UFC 205, Daniel Cormier at UFC 226, Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 and UFC 277, and Henry Cejudo at UFC 238), as well as the eighth person overall to win a title in different divisions. [5] It was also the first time in the organization's history that the number 1 pound-for-pound fighter (Volkanovski) faced the number 2 fighter (Makhachev) for a championship. [6]
An interim UFC Featherweight Championship bout between The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America featherweight winner Yair Rodríguez and Josh Emmett took place at the event. [7]
A middleweight bout between former UFC Middleweight Champion (also The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes welterweight winner) Robert Whittaker and former title challenger Paulo Costa was linked to this event. [8] However, Costa disputed the official announcement by the promotion indicating he had never signed a contract and the fight would not take place. [9] [10] The pair was previously expected to headline UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum in April 2021, but Costa withdrew due to illness. [11]
A flyweight bout between former UFC Flyweight Championship challengers Alex Perez and Kai Kara-France (the latter for the interim title) was scheduled for this event. [12] They were once booked for an event at San Diego on May 16, 2020, but the card was moved to a different location due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the bout eventually never took place. [13] [14] In turn, the bout was canceled in late December as Kara-France suffered an undisclosed injury. [15] Perez was rescheduled for a bout against former Rizin Bantamweight Champion Manel Kape at UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen on March 25. [16]
A women's strawweight bout between Loma Lookboonmee and Elise Reed was scheduled for UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivak. [17] However, the pair was moved to this event for undisclosed reasons. [18]
A lightweight bout between Nasrat Haqparast and Jamie Mullarkey was expected to take place at the event. [19] However, Haqparast withdrew due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Francisco Prado. [20]
A lightweight bout between Joel Álvarez and Zubaira Tukhugov was scheduled for the event. [21] However, Alvarez withrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Elves Brenner. [22] At the weigh-ins, Tukhugov weighed in at 157.5 pounds, one and a half pound over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Tukhugov was fined 30% of his purse, which went to Brenner. [23]
A heavyweight bout between promotional newcomer Junior Tafa and Austen Lane was scheduled for this event. [24] However, Lane withdrew due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Waldo Cortes-Acosta. [25] In turn, it was announced a few days later that Tafa withdrew due to injury and the bout was scrapped. [26]
A light heavyweight bout between Tyson Pedro and Zhang Mingyang was expected to take place at the event. [27] However, Zhang withdrew for unknown reasons and was replaced by Modestas Bukauskas. [28]
Also at the weigh-ins, Kleydson Rodrigues missed weight. He weighed in at 127 pounds, one pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight with Rodrigues being fined 20% of his purse, which went to his opponent Shannon Ross. [23]
During the event's broadcast, the inaugural and former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver was announced as the next "pioneer wing" UFC Hall of Fame inductee. [29]
| Main card | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Lightweight | Islam Makhachev (c) | def. | Alexander Volkanovski | Decision (unanimous) (48–47, 48–47, 49–46) | 5 | 5:00 | [lower-alpha 1] |
| Featherweight | Yair Rodríguez | def. | Josh Emmett | Submission (triangle choke) | 2 | 4:19 | [lower-alpha 2] |
| Welterweight | Jack Della Maddalena | def. | Randy Brown | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 2:13 | |
| Heavyweight | Justin Tafa | def. | Parker Porter | KO (punch) | 1 | 1:06 | |
| Light Heavyweight | Jimmy Crute | vs. | Alonzo Menifield | Draw (majority) (29–27, 28–28, 28–28) | 3 | 5:00 | [lower-alpha 3] |
| Preliminary card (ESPN / ESPN+) | |||||||
| Light Heavyweight | Modestas Bukauskas | def. | Tyson Pedro | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Featherweight | Joshua Culibao | def. | Melsik Baghdasaryan | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 2 | 2:02 | |
| Catchweight (127 lb) | Kleydson Rodrigues | def. | Shannon Ross | TKO (punches) | 1 | 0:59 | |
| Lightweight | Jamie Mullarkey | def. | Francisco Prado | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass) | |||||||
| Featherweight | Jack Jenkins | def. | Don Shainis | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Women's Strawweight | Loma Lookboonmee | def. | Elise Reed | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 2 | 0:44 | |
| Featherweight | Blake Bilder | def. | Shane Young | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Catchweight (157.5 lb) | Elves Brener | def. | Zubaira Tukhugov | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. [31]
Islam Ramazanovich Makhachev is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and former sambo competitor. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Lightweight Champion. Makhachev has competed professionally since 2010, along with becoming a combat sambo world champion in 2016 and two-time Russian national champion at 74 kg. As of 7 November 2023, he is #1 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Alexander Volkanovski is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Featherweight Champion. He is also a former Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) Featherweight champion. Prior to his UFC debut, Volkanovski competed as a professional boxer in 2015. As of 20 February 2024, he is #1 in the UFC featherweight rankings and as of 16 April 2024, he is #7 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
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