The top two Pound-for-Pound fighters in the world put on an instant classic at UFC 284. The 155-pound title was on the line Saturday in Perth, Australia as Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski moved up in wait to challenge Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. Volkanovski came up short in a spirited effort, pushing Makhachev to the limit in their five-round Main event. In the Co-main event, dynamic striker Yair Rodriguez (15-3) took on former collegiate wrestler Josh Emmett (18-3) for the Interim Featherweight Championship. Rodriguez was able to outduel Emmett in an absolute battle, earning a submission (Triangle choke) in round two. Also, on the main card intriguing prospect, Jack Della Maddalena stopped Randy Brown (16-5) in under three minutes. Maddalena was the UFC’s rookie of the year in 2022 going (3-0) and had a real coming out party in front of his native Australian fans this weekend.

(C) Islam Makhachev (24-1) Def. (C) Alexander Volkanovski (25-2)

One of the most anticipated title fights in recent memory more than lived up to expectations. Only six champion vs champion matchups have happened in UFC history. Islam Makhachev came into this contest riding an 11-fight win streak, having dethroned former champion Charles Olivera his last time out. Volkanovski had just finished his trilogy with Max Holloway in July and was on a 22-fight win streak of his own. Makhachev trains at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, and is coached by Javier Mendez and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Volkanovski trains with former Middleweight Champion Israel Adesasnya at City Kickboxing in New Zealand. Volkanovski is the 145-pound champion and was moving up in weight for this fight. Makhachev was a (-375) favorite at online sportsbooks as betting lines closed.

In round one Volkanovski came out very aggressive not wanting to give up ground to Makhachev. Volkanovski landed a combination to the body and then the head of Makhachev that momentarily dazed the champion early in the round. Volkanovski then rushed in and was taken down by Makhachev against the fence. Makhachev remained in control on the ground for the remainder of the round but was unable to find a submission while in advantageous positions. In round two Volkanovski initially defended the takedowns of Makhachev. Volkanovski was finding success on the feet with effective leg kicks at distance and powerful punches on the inside. Makhachev was holding his ground and trying to time straight left hands, later finding a takedown at the end of the round.

Championship rounds and What’s next?

Rounds three and four were highly competitive with both fighters having their moments. Volkanovski may have been the smaller fighter, but it seemed his power transferred over well to the heavier weight class. Makhachev would try to throw punches to get inside on Volkanovski and secure a body lock. Volkanovski was winning the exchanges on the feet but at times would get out of position and taken down.

Going into the fifth round I scored the fight three rounds to one for Makhachev in very closely contested rounds. Volkanovski saved his best for the final round as he was able to out-strike Makhachev and knock him down in round five. Makhachev seemed to have been tiring in round five as Volkanovski was able to defend his relentless takedown attempts. After five rounds the judges scored the fight unanimously in favor of the champion Islam Makhachev (49-46,48-47,48-47).

Makhachev retained his title and is the champion of the strongest weight class in the UFC. Many upcoming fights between contenders are on the horizon. No.3 Justin Gaethje has an upcoming fight with No.6 Rafael Fiziev which should be a fan-friendly contest. Also, it’s being reported that Conor Mcgregor will be coaching and then fighting against Michael Chandler on the Ultimate Fighter. With a win, Mcgregor could find his way back to a title matchup against Makhachev.

Yair Rodriguez (15-3) Def. Josh Emmett (18-3)

The Co-main event of UFC 284 featured an Interim Featherweight between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett. Rodriguez is extremely well-rounded and is known as a high-level finisher on the feet and the ground. In his last fight, Rodriguez defeated Brian Ortega popping his shoulder out of the socket while attempting an armbar. Emmett recently went the distance with ranked featherweight Calvin Katter earning a unanimous decision victory. Rodriguez came into this fight as a slight favorite on online sportsbooks (-188).

Emmett came out firing powerful right hands early in round one, trying to finish the fight early. It seemed that Emmett was loading up on the right hand and wasn’t throwing many punches in combination. This could have been due to the devastating kicks of Rodriguez at distance. It was hard for Emmett to get close enough to land anything effective on Rodriguez, who had a significant speed advantage. Rodriguez threatened Emmett with a few lightning-fast head kicks that forced him to change levels for a takedown.

In round two Rodriguez was able to find success on the feet again landing damaging body kicks and punches that made Emmett uncomfortable enough to take the fight down again. As Emmett was attempting to land ground and pound Rodriguez locked in a triangle forcing Emmett to tap. Rodriguez is now the Interim Champion and will face Alexander Volkanovski for the Undisputed Featherweight title. Rodriguez will have a significant height and reach advantage against Volkanovski as well.

Jack Della Maddalena (14-2) vs Randy Brown (16-5)

Rising star Jack Della Maddalena put on an absolute show at UFC 284. The 170-pound Australian prospect quickly dispatched of respected UFC veteran Randy Brown knocking him down and then submitting him in round one. Maddalena impressed in 2022 going (3-0) and was awarded UFC’s Rookie of the year. Many fans were excited to see Jack get back into the cage and compete against what many thought would be a real test in Brown who holds impressive victories over Bryan Barberena, Walley Alves, and Fransisco Trinaldo.

Maddalena had no problems in this matchup and took care of business early. Immediately Maddalena pressured Brown in round one making him fight off the back foot. As Brown retreated, he threw leg kicks and fast jabs to try and keep Maddalena at distance. Maddalena avoided the strikes of Brown and landed a massive left hand against the fence that knocked Randy down. Brown fell down tumbling over and Maddalena was able to secure his neck. From here Maddalena was able to lock in the Rear Naked Choke submission ending the fight. Maddalena is now (4-0) in the UFC and has a massive amount of potential. I would like to see him fight a world-class wrestler or grappler in his next fight to see what his ground skills look like. With this win, Maddalena should crack the UFC top 15 rankings.

UFC 284 Prelims:

The UFC 284 prelims highlighted many entertaining and under-the-radar matchups. In a heavyweight fight, Justin Tafa (6-3) put away Parker Porter (13-8) with a devastating right hand a minute into round one. Porter rushed in with wild punches and Tafa countered beautifully with a well-timed right hand. This was a massive win in the career of Tafa who was able to score an impressive knockout in front of his native Australian fans. A light heavyweight fight between Jimmy Crute (12-3) and Alonzo Menifield (13-3) ended in controversy. Menifield was dominating this fight and was close to stopping Crute at the end of round one.

In round two Menifield picked up where he left off winning the striking exchanges, although he was tiring. Going into round three the fight was easily scored 2-0 for Menifield. In round three Menifield was exhausted and Crute took advantage securing a takedown. As Menifield fought to get back to his feet, he grabbed the fence and was deducted a point from long-time referee Marc Goddard. This turned the fight on its head as Menifield not only lost the final round but was deducted a point in a three-round fight. This unfortunate error by Menifield resulted in a unanimous draw on the judges’ scorecards. This was an unbelievable PPV event from the UFC who will return next week with a fight night card headlined by Jessica Andrade and Erin Blanchfield.

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