{"id":292032,"date":"2023-10-26T01:29:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T01:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?p=292032"},"modified":"2023-10-26T01:29:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T01:29:15","slug":"whats-next-for-the-main-and-co-main-event-fighters-after-ufc-294","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/mma\/whats-next-for-the-main-and-co-main-event-fighters-after-ufc-294\/","title":{"rendered":"What&apos;s next for the main and co-main event fighters after UFC 294?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Alexander Volkanovski and Kamaru Usman are left in limbo, while Khamzat Chimaev and Islam Makhachev will be focused on title shots&#8230; but what&#8217;s next for the main and co-main event fighters after UFC 294?<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Islam Makhachev defended his lightweight title against Alexander Volkanovski\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Here, Mail Sport takes a look at what&#8217;s next for the main and co-main event stars\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Mail Sport&#8217;s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On Saturday night, scores were settled, history was made and rivalries were ended after the dust settled on a thrilling UFC 294 event in Abu Dhabi.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Taking place at the Etihad Arena, UFC fans were treated to two blockbuster fights as Islam Makhachev took on\u00a0Alexander Volkanovski\u00a0and\u00a0Khamzat Chimaev faced off with\u00a0Kamaru Usman.<\/p>\n<p>In the main event, Makhachev scored a huge KO win over Volkanovski in the second round to retain his UFC lightweight title &#8211; after his counterpart stepped in on 11 days notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Chimaev took to his middleweight debut with ease and dismantled the &#8216;Nigerian Nightmare&#8217; across three rounds to score a majority decision victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And so, here, <span>Mail Sport<\/span> takes a look at what&#8217;s next for each fighter on the main and co-main event.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/24\/12\/76931881-12665287-image-a-6_1698145841880.jpg\" height=\"452\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Islam Makhachev retained his UFC lightweight title after a thrilling UFC 294 event on Saturday<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/24\/12\/76931581-12665287-image-a-7_1698145859200.jpg\" height=\"435\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The Dagestani fighter triumphed over Alexander &#8216;The Great&#8217; Volkanovski (left) after a brutal KO<\/p>\n<h2>KAMARU USMAN<\/h2>\n<p>After accepting the fight with Chimaev on just 10 days notice, the prospect of leaving the Etihad Arena with a victory to his name seemed slim.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Notably, this is because Chimaev had been preparing for months on end for the move from welterweight to middleweight &#8211; while Usman had just days.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, it proved pivotal for the &#8216;Nigerian Nightmare&#8217; &#8211; who was handed a majority decision defeat following a brutal first-round from Chimaev.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Chechen-born Chimaev landed a takedown almost immediately and looked as though he could finish the fight within the first five minutes, but Usman held on.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting on the defeat, Usman said:\u00a0&#8216;He&#8217;s had a year-and-a-half to grow into this weight class and I didn&#8217;t&#8230; I didn&#8217;t trust my shape.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/25\/20\/76932611-12665287-Kamaru_Usman_suffered_his_third_defeat_in_a_row_after_fighting_K-a-8_1698262297066.jpg\" height=\"448\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Kamaru Usman suffered his third defeat in a row after fighting Khamzat Chimaev on Saturday<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I&#8217;m a Championship fighter and you can&#8217;t start slow like that. Give me a couple extra rounds and I think the world knows what that result might be&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, it perhaps makes sense for Usman to cut his losses within the middleweight division and return to welterweight &#8211; where a number of interesting challenges still remain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While Colby Covington and Leon Edwards are booked for a December title bout, a number of the top contenders would make for a great match-up with Usman.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Belal Muhammad, who is ranked second in the weight division, would make for a thrilling fight with the &#8216;Nigerian Nightmare&#8217;, following his triumph over Gilbert Burns earlier this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If not, a match-up with the winner of\u00a0Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson would also intrigue MMA fans.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/24\/12\/76931691-12665287-image-a-19_1698146329243.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The &#8216;Nigerian Nightmare&#8217; was dealt the defeat after accepting the fight on 10 days notice<\/p>\n<h2>KHAMZAT CHIMAEV<\/h2>\n<p>In case there were any lingering doubts, Khamzat Chimaev proved that he is destined for the top after his dominant performance on Saturday night.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 29-year-old made light work of the former UFC welterweight champion and recorded an impressive 10-8 first round from all three judges.<\/p>\n<p>He went on to secure the majority decision win after a scoring of 29\u201327, 29\u201327, 28\u201328, as he cemented his place within the middleweight division.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But, after such a dominant showing, what next for the Russian star?<\/p>\n<p>Well, shortly after his victory, Chimaev took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to issue a warning message to current middleweight champion Sean Strickland.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He boldly claimed: &#8216;You are next don\u2019t worry you know how fast I can finish you&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/24\/12\/76931697-12665287-image-a-10_1698145898613.jpg\" height=\"459\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Borz&#8217; put in a dominant performance to record his seventh win in the organisation<\/p>\n<p>While a bout between Chimaev and Strickland would be sure to intrigue UFC fans across the world, there remains some doubt whether that bout will happen next.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Within the middleweight division, it&#8217;s clear South Africa&#8217;s Dricus Du Plessis deserves to have the next title shot &#8211; after his emphatic KO win over Robert Whittaker in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And, with Israel Adesanya enjoying a self-imposed hiatus from the sport, it leaves just a handful of feasible options for &#8216;Borz&#8217;.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One option, and perhaps the most logical, would be to re-book the initially scheduled bout for UFC 294 &#8211; which saw Chimaev matched up with Paulo Costa.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was a match-up that certainly had fans excited, only for the bout to come crashing down after a gruesome injury to Costa&#8217;s elbow.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Once fully healed, there&#8217;s no doubt that the bout should go ahead, prior to Chimaev earning that esteemed title shot.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/24\/12\/76932637-12665287-image-a-11_1698145945693.jpg\" height=\"422\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>It makes sense to reschedule the originally-planned bout against Paulo Costa (pictured)<\/p>\n<h2>ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI<\/h2>\n<p>After what can only be described as a bitterly disappointing night for the featherweight champion, what lies ahead for Alexander &#8216;The Great&#8217;?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Well, after the fight, the Aussie star\u00a0<span>broke down in tears and\u00a0<\/span><span>revealed the intense personal strain he has been under.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>He explained how his lack of routine &#8211; which came amid his need for a fight &#8211; lead to admissions that he&#8217;s &#8216;struggled&#8217; mentally in recent months.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With all of that considered, it makes sense for Volkanovski to get back into the octagon as soon as possible &#8211; but another shot at the lightweight title makes little sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Volk will return to featherweight after he verbally agreed to defend his strap against Ilia Topuria in the first UFC event on 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Topuria has yet to taste defeat throughout his six fights in the organisation and has been tipped to be the one to dethrone Volkanovski for the featherweight title.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, after suffering such a brutal KO against Makhachev, there are questions as to whether &#8216;Volk&#8217; can have such a quick turn-around inside the octagon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/24\/12\/76931591-12665287-image-a-12_1698145949293.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Alexander Volkanovski cut a dejected figure after his loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294<\/p>\n<h2>ISLAM MAKHACHEV<\/h2>\n<p>After such an emphatic showing against Volkanovski, UFC fans will wonder how Islam Makhachev will choose to follow-up his impressive win.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There have been some rogue shouts for the Dagestani to try his luck against welterweight champion Leon Edwards, however that prospect seems unlikely.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Instead, it would make sense for Makhachev to continue his defence of the lightweight belt, as he closes in on the joint-record for the\u00a0most lightweight title defences in UFC history.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some fans have mooted the idea of a match-up between Makhachev and Justin Gaethje &#8211; who has recorded wins over Dustin Poirier and\u00a0Rafael Fiziev in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, who better to face-off with in his next fight than Charles Oliveira &#8211; who had initially been scheduled to fight Makhachev in UFC 294&#8217;s main event.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Brazilian suffered a nasty cut during a sparring session in the build-up to that fight that inevitably ruled him out of competing all together.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, Volkanovski still took the fight on just 11 days notice but fans will still be eager to see &#8216;do Bronx&#8217; and Makhachev battle for the second time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In their first encounter, back in October 2022, the Dagestani recorded a submission win over Oliveira but it&#8217;s clear that they still have a score to settle.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/24\/12\/76932645-12665287-image-a-13_1698145979361.jpg\" height=\"457\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Many have called for the UFC to re-book Makhachev&#8217;s rematch bout against Charles Oliveira<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/mma\/article-12665287\/Alexander-Volkanovski-Kamaru-Usman-left-limbo-Khamzat-Chimaev-Islam-Makhachev-focused-title-shots-whats-main-main-event-fighters-UFC-294.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alexander Volkanovski and Kamaru Usman are left in limbo, while Khamzat Chimaev and Islam Makhachev will be focused on title<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292031,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What&amp;apos;s next for the main and co-main event fighters after UFC 294? - Sports Love Me<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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