UFC 284

Makhachev defended his UFC lightweight title with a points win against Volkanovski in Australia but Nurmagomedov was critical of his childhood friend's ...

After he landed the good shot in the last round, I went down and tried to get a triangle choke or armbar. I thought he was going to be easy on the ground, but this guy improved a lot and I needed a tough guy. "He was such a short and hard opponent, I needed a tough fight as I have to improve. Makhachev believes he won all but one of the rounds, admitting that Volkanovski won the final round after scoring the only knockdown of the fight. This didn't stop Nurmagomedov from speaking with Makhachev moments after his win and he was critical of his childhood's friend performance. Makhachev, 31, made the first defence of his lightweight title by winning a decision against featherweight champion Volkanovski on Saturday night with scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

Khabib Nurmagomedov was unable to be in Islam Makhachev's corner against Alexander Volkanovski but was there in spirit.

Post-fight Khabib called up Makhachev to congratulate him with a big grin on his face. Alongside Makhachev, he trains Zubaira Tukhugov, cousins Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, and Belal Muhammad just to name a few. I want to be pound-for-pound king, because this is, I think, a dream for all fighters. That’s why he wants to spend more time with his family.” And when you retire, you want to spend time with your family. “And when somebody has a fight, he goes to the training camp, went to the other things.

In what might be remembered as the best champion vs. champion fight in UFC history, UFC lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev defeated the promotion's ...

This was not a bad fight, but it was not an ideal contest to close the prelims before a pay-per-view card. Young was on the wrong end of a decision in this featherweight matchup. He seemed confident in his striking offense and defense and, I don’t want to say dismissive of his opponent, Elves Brenner, but he didn’t seem to have any fear of the offense that was coming back at him. The UFC pay-per-view prices increased again this year, but the promotion has not improved the quality of fights it provides for that added cost. Young struggled early with landing his strikes, but once he got the range and timing of his opponent, Blake Bilder, he had some success. With that, he was on the wrong end of the fight, tapping to a triangle choke in the second stanza. Not only did Rodriguez carry the day with his striking, he took calculated risks and even when he was on his back, he kept producing offense, picking up his first submission win as a member of the UFC roster. Blake Bilder: The 32-year-old Blake Bilder made his UFC debut on Saturday. After getting swept following a takedown, Lookboonmee did not allow her adversary to take the upper hand after she scored a takedown in the second stanza. Then, in the third round, Menifield’s cardio failed, allowing Crute to return to the pressuring style he employed in the first round. I’m not always a fan of rushing young fighters up the rankings before they are ready, but Della Maddalena looks prepared and able to test himself against a ranked opponent. For this fight at least, that was the right call.

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday's UFC 284 event in Perth, Australia.

Several fighters—and at least one non-fighter—raised or lowered their stock with their performances at UFC 284.

[Elves Brener Oliveira](/fighter/Elves-Brener-Oliveira-224229)in a bout he [probably deserved to win](http://www.mmadecisions.com/decision/13773/Elves-Brener-vs-Zubaira-Tukhugov). [Beneil Dariush](/fighter/Beneil-Dariush-56583), a rematch with [Charles Oliveira](/fighter/Charles-Oliveira-30300)or the winner of [Michael Chandler](/fighter/Michael-Chandler-50829)vs. Tukhugov also came in heavy for the fight, placing him in the rarefied company of fighters like [John Lineker](/fighter/John-Lineker-41906)and [Norma Dumont](/fighter/Norma-Dumont-233587)who have missed weight in multiple UFC divisions. Della Maddalena is rarely mentioned in the same breath as fellow red-hot welterweights [Khamzat Chimaev](/fighter/Khamzat-Chimaev-280021)and [Shavkat Rakhmonov](/fighter/Shavkat-Rakhmonov-179185), but perhaps he should be. [Thiago Moises](/fighter/Thiago-Moises-130351)in his only other UFC bout to go past Round 3? The two champs gave as good as they got for five closely contested rounds and in the end, [a notable minority of observers thought the smaller man had done enough to win.](http://www.mmadecisions.com/decision/13772/Islam-Makhachev-vs-Alexander-Volkanovski)However, the three opinions that mattered sided unanimously with Makhachev, who will carry a 12-fight winning streak into his next title defense.

UFC 284 results: It's time to see who were the biggest winners (and loser) from last night's "Makhachev vs. Volkanovksi" event in Australia.

Rodriguez had perhaps one of the best performances of his career, and it came at the perfect time, winning the interim Featherweight strap by putting it on Josh Emmett from the jump. In the co-main event, Yair Rodriguez defeated Josh Emmett via second-round submission to capture the interim Featherweight title ( [see it here](https://www.mmamania.com/2023/2/12/23595595/watch-full-fight-video-highlights-rodriguez-emmett-ufc-284-results-espn-ppv-australia-submission)). It wasn’t easy, but Makhachev managed to earn his first-ever title defense by doing enough to outscore a game Volkanovski on his home turf after 25 minutes of high-level fighting.

ISLAM MAKHACHEV edged an incredible fight with Alexander Volkanovski Down Under to become the UFC's pound-for-pound king.But Nate Diaz and ESPN pundit.

He's looking to cinch in a rear-naked choke but it's not there. And he gets it. "But hey, Congrats to Islam. A crestfallen Volkanoski said: "I was expecting to win. Makhachev quickly moves to the back of Volk and has the body lock. But Volk manages to work his way back to his feet and forces a clinch of his own against the fence. Maybe I could've capitalised on some positions a bit more. 1 again." Makhachev tries to bring the fight back to the ground but Volk manages to pop right back up. Makhachev shoots for a takedown midway through the round and manages to ground the challenger. Makhachev does manage to take the back and secures the position with a body lock. That’s disgraceful."

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the ...

Imavov”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/01/ufc-fight-night-217-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-program-total)– $137,000 [UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/04/ufc-raises-promotional-guidelines-payouts-projects-1-million-increase-in-annual-distribution-to-fighters), which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). def. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000. Spivac”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023/02/ufc-fight-night-218-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-derrick-lewis-money-salary)– $136,000 [“UFC 283: Teixeira vs.

Controversial UFC judge Derek Cleary has put himself in hot waters once more after he scored the highly competitive UFC 284 headliner between Islam ...

One of Derek Cleary's most recent hits came when he scored the UFC London fight in March between Cory McKenna and Elise Reed as 30-27 in the former's favor. "I didn't see the 49-46 scorecard for Islam as out of line. He is as good as anyone at any weight in the world. However, there were a few who didn't see much wrong with the one-sided scorecard. In recent years, MMA judging has come under heavy scrutiny owing to some bizarre scorecards and results. Cleary has a long history of seemingly bizarre scoring.

Alex Volkanovski might have come up short in his quest to become a two-weight UFC champion but his rivarly with Islam Makhachev is only just getting ...

It is still a difficult problem, but it is not unsolvable. He was the one with everything to lose here: There have been plenty of UFC champions who tried for a second belt and found out, in quick and brutal fashion, they had bitten off far more than they could chew. However, even as they defend their belts, the talk will be about them meeting again. It does not have to happen tomorrow, or even this year, but it must happen. However, Volkanovski has lost none of his reputation in defeat. The fight was close enough that a win for either man could not be called a robbery.

All the best, most interesting, and unquestionably coolest fights the UFC needs to book following their latest event in Perth, Australia.

Looks like he knew the score from the jump, coming out with a spinning back kick and a ton of pressure to start the fight. It may not be as big a fight as the Makhachev rematch that Volkanovski wants, but he set the challenge that the featherweight division needed to create a top contender for him to face. If that’s the case, I’ve got just the prospect on the rise for her to test herself against. Dontayle Mayes is set to take on Augusto Sakai in the near future, the winner of that seems like they’d make for a fun next challenge. Parker Porter came out looking to throw in volume and press the action and take a hard fight to the Aussie. Johnson looked like a killer against Jimmy Flick last time around, should be a good test for Rodrigues to see if he’s truly found his form in the Octagon. Emmett had his trademark power, and he even did a little wrestling—something he’s done all too rarely in the past—but the vast majority of the fight had Rodriguez kicking his foe to absolute pieces. He was devilishly difficult to take down, impossible to break, and when Makhachev lost even half a step Volkanovski was right there to pounce on him and make it clear that the long arc of the bout was very firmly in his favor. But, Volkanovski took on a huge task when he moved up to fight Makhachev and, even if judges could find a way to award him the victory, it feels like he had all the success he needed to claim victory. Later in the evening, however, he sounded less sure of that plan—with talk of an immediate rematch against the Dagestani, if he could get it. Michael Chandler & Conor McGregor are going to face off later this year, in a fight that could see McGregor directly back in the hunt. So, will Rodriguez get a chance to unify the belt at 145?

With Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski in the books, MMA Fighting's Shaun Al-Shatti breaks down the five biggest takeaways coming out of UFC 284's ...

[Alonzo Menifield](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3432/alonzo-menifield). [Jimmy Crute](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4575/jimmy-crute) vs. And neither Crute nor Menifield got a win bonus already budgeted out for the event, despite Crute probably losing a year off his own career from all the damage Menifield inflicted? There won’t be a dry eye in the house for Pulver’s Hall of Fame speech this summer. [Caol Uno](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/361/caol-uno) and [B.J. Penn](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/73/b-j-penn), rocked the sport and established why the lightweights deserved their place in MMA. Between [Khamzat Chimaev](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5368/khamzat-chimaev) and [Shavkat Rakhmonov](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5322/shavkat-rakhmonov), the new era of talent rising up the ranks at welterweight was already tantalizing — adding Della Maddalena to that mix feels almost cruel to the old warhorses still milling around the top of the division. He was also one of Miletich Fighting Systems’ Four Horsemen of the UFC at a time The UFC’s Hall of Fame has been a mixed bag of tricks over the years, but it’s an honor that has long been at the forefront of Pulver’s mind. The bout headlined an raucous return to Perth, Australia, which also saw [Yair Rodriguez](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3094/yair-rodriguez) capture an interim featherweight belt with a second-round submission of [Josh Emmett](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3686/josh-emmett), [Jack Della Maddalena](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5772/jack-della-maddalena) thrill his hometown crowd with a first-round statement win, plus much more. At UFC 284, Rodriguez was the best possible version of himself — dynamic, fast, creative, freakishly long for the division, and dangerous as all hell. Volkanovski certainly looked like the best fighter in the world on Saturday night — a fighter who just so happened to be noticeably smaller than the other champion standing across from him.