Islam Makhachev unhappy with how UFC 284 is being promoted

UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev believes his next fight with Alexander Volkanovski has not been properly marketed.

Volkanovski and Makhachev will square off in the main event of UFC 284 on February 11 in Perth. He will face the featherweight champion Volkanovski in a super bout to defend his lightweight belt.

The Makhachev/Volkanovski bout is one of the biggest 'champion vs. champion' fights in UFC history. Both athletes have had recent success in the Octagon, highlighted by Makhachev's triumph over Charles Oliveira.

Nevertheless, the Makhachev/Volkanovski battle is coming up soon, and some fans could have forgotten about it. Makhachev believes that a larger promotional effort should be made before fight night for the Volkanovski clash.

Makhachev recently expressed dissatisfaction with the UFC in an interview with RSport Russia.

“I see that it is not such big promotion,” Makhachev said. “Dana White himself has some problems; he does not pay much attention to this fight…in terms of pay-per-view, yes, more could have been done.”

“I only saw Volkanovski once, in Sydney. A tour could be organized around the world, a conference could be held in America.”

On the UFC's pound-for-pound list, Makhachev, a top protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov, is now rated second. His UFC 284 rival Volkanovski presently holds the top rank.

The winner of Makhachev vs. Volkanovski will be able to claim the title of top pound-for-pound fighter. This makes the fight much more significant, yet it is debatably not receiving a lot of attention in the run-up to the event.