Pound-For-Pound Top Two to Meet at UFC 284 On Return to Australia

UFC will once again return to Australia in February for UFC 284 when Alexander Volkanovski challenges for Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title in front of his home crowd at the RAC Arena in Perth.

Not since UFC 243 in October 2019 has the UFC staged such an event in Australia. It is a huge opportunity for Volkanovski to become a two-weight world champion. The featherweight title holder will be stepping up in weight to face the lightweight champion.

The Great has yet to suffer defeat in the UFC. He has won all 12 of his fights with the promotion since making his debut in 2016, including an impressive victory over Brian Ortega. It has now been three years since he secured his featherweight title, beating Max Holloway at UFC 245.

Volkanovski featured twice in the Octogen in 2022. He stopped Jung Chan-sung in the fourth round of their clash back in April, while at UFC 276, he defeated Holloway for the third time in his career following five rounds in Las Vegas.

Fight camp is on., be ready short guy 😎👊🏼 #ufc284 pic.twitter.com/fjXXNogsqN

— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) December 1, 2022

Makhachev represents Volkanovski’s toughest test to date. Not only is the Russian bigger, but he also is just one spot behind him in second place on the pound-for-pound list in the sport. 

The UFC lightweight champion won his belt after stopping Charles Oliveira in the second round by submission back in October. This will be the first defense of his title, and if he is successful, he could leapfrog the Australian to the number one spot in the pound-for-pound standings. As of the 5th of December, Makhachev is the -334 favorite in the sports betting for the fight, while Volkanovski is the underdog at +250. However, with the home crowd behind him, the challenger will be hoping they will be able to inspire him to victory.

Featherweight Duo Could Force a Clash with Volkanovski

One of the supporting events at UFC 284 is the featherweight clash between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett. The winner of that fight could become the next contender to face Volkanovski for his featherweight title with the brand.

Rodriguez is ranked second in the featherweight division. He had an excellent win over Ortega back in July as he stopped the American in the first round of that fight. His only defeat in his last five appearances in the Octagon came against Holloway in November 2021.

Emmett has a lot of experience as a fighter, as he has been a professional since 2011. His latest run is one of the best of his career with victories in his last five fights, including wins against Shane Burgos, Dan Ige, and Calvin Kattar.

The Fighting Falmer has yet to challenge for a title with the UFC, so it would be a great opportunity for him should he get past Rodriguez and book a meeting with Volkanovski.

Whittaker Also Gets a Chance to Return to Australia

Robert Whittaker will also get the opportunity to fight in front of his home crowd when he takes on Paulo Costa in a middleweight clash at the event. This was expected to be a main event contest earlier in 2022 but Costa was forced to withdraw due to an illness.

Never felt anything like it 27.11.16 , can’t wait for this energy! #UFC284 #UFCPerth @UFC_AUSNZ @ufc pic.twitter.com/7OOVjQ6v3W

— Robert Whittaker (@robwhittakermma) November 28, 2022

Whittaker is ranked second in the middleweight rankings. The former UFC champion was defeated by Israel Adesanya at UFC 271. He has since returned to the Octagon and has been successful, as he beat Marvin Vettori by a unanimous decision. Costa stepped up to the light heavyweight division in 2021 but he is now back at middleweight. He too was victorious on his latest appearance, beating Luke Rockhold by a decision at UFC 278.

Kai Kara-France Will Be Hoping to Bounce Back to Success

New Zealand’s Kai Kara-France missed out on the chance of landing the interim Flyweight title when he met Brandon Moreno at UFC 277. He suffered a TKO defeat in the third round of that clash. Kara-France will be looking to put on a good performance against Alex Perez to earn another opportunity at a title shot in 2023. The 29-year-old has twice landed the ‘Performance of the Night’ award on a UFC card. He will be expected to beat Perez who has lost his last two fights in the Octogen.

UFC 284 is scheduled to take place on February 14, and it could be one of the best events of 2023.