UFC 294 Gets New Main Event After Injury

In Perth, Australia on February 12, 2023, a big Ultimate Fighting Championship event took place. The UFC 284 event hosted a lightweight championship fight between Islam Makhachev from Russia and Alexander Volkanovski from Australia. The event was held in the RAC Arena. Prior to the fight, Makhachev was seen preparing for his fight against Volkanovski. This moment was captured by Chris Unger from Zuffa LLC and the photo shows Makhachev getting ready for the big event.

UFC 294 had a change in plans for its main event on Tuesday night. However, the upcoming ESPN+ pay-per-view fight card quickly found a replacement headlining bout. The new main event happens to be a rematch between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski, which was also the original plan for Makhachev's fight against Charles Oliveira. The rematch was confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White. The match is set to happen on October 21st at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, with Makhachev putting his UFC lightweight title on the line against Volkanovski, the featherweight titleholder.

Once the change for the upcoming PPV event was verified, White provided additional information about the reasons behind the former UFC lightweight champion's absence from UFC 294.

During the fifth round of sparring on Monday night, right before his scheduled flight today, he accidentally opened up his eyebrow and received stitches last night," according to White's statement after Tuesday's Dana White Contender Series event at UFC Apex. "It's clear that he can't go to that location looking like that."

The UFC expressed their desire for the fighter to see a plastic surgeon who would use an internal suturing method to take care of their injury. They were disappointed that the fighter didn't reach out to them for assistance when the injury occurred, and only contacted them afterward. However, they acknowledge that the fighter may have been concerned about the potential risks involved in such a procedure.

Regarding Volkanovski's decision to accept the fight with less than two weeks' notice, White expressed admiration for the reigning UFC featherweight champion.

The Volkanovski duo, consisting of him and Israel (Adesanya), are truly fantastic. He bravely enters the ring and readily agrees to take on his opponent.

Makhachev and Volkanovski faced off in a grueling five-round match at UFC 284. The fight happened in Perth, Australia, and Makhachev emerged as the winner with a unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 48-47, 48-47, 49-46, in favor of Makhachev, who currently holds the UFC 155-pound title. This bout marked Makhachev's debut defense of his title in the organization.

According to White, Mateusz Gamrot was identified as a possible replacement for Oliveira in the UFC 294 main event but was not picked. Nonetheless, it is presumed that Gamrot will continue to serve as a substitute for the tournament in case either the lightweight or featherweight champ cannot participate during the fight's evening.

Following White's announcement regarding the alteration in the main event, Oliveira posted a video named "I'm sorry". The video showcased the injury which compelled him to withdraw from the fight.

In UFC 280's main event, Makhachev won the lightweight title after submitting Oliveira in October 2022. The belt was up for grabs then since Oliveria missed the weight in UFC 274. For missing the required weight, the UFC removed Oliveira's title. This happened when Oliveira fought against Justin Gaethje in May 2022. Despite the setback, Oliveira won his match against Gaethje after submitting him in the first round. Following this, he faced Makhachev to compete for the empty title belt in his succeeding fight.

UFC 294 is a card happening early in the States. It will be aired on ESPN+ as a pay-per-view event starting at 2:00 p.m. ET, with prelims happening earlier at 10:00 a.m. ET, also on ESPN+.