Islam Makhachev set to face Charles Oliveira in a rematch in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294

It is official that on October 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight title in a rematch against No. 1 ranked Charles Oliveira. The fight will take place inside the Etihad Arena, and American spectators should expect an early start.

In their previous encounter at UFC 280, which took place in Abu Dhabi, Makhachev outclassed Oliveira to win via arm triangle in round two.

Since then, Alexander Volkanovski, who was moving up from featherweight, has challenged Makhachev for the right to defend his championship against him for the chance to become a double champion. The fight was very debated, and many spectators gave the Australian the victory.

Oliveira, on the other hand, knocked out Beneil Dariush in the first round of UFC 289 to defeat the No. 4 contender. Makhachev was thought to be most vulnerable to Dariush of the top five lightweights. With the win, Oliveira has now defeated all five of the top lightweights, and it was clear that he was entitled to a rematch.