UFC 294 Results: Makhachev Gets it Done in One

Now that we've let the UFC 294 results set in, it's time to reflect on what happened yesterday on Yas Island. Headlined by Makhachev vs Volkanovski II, this card gave us a lot of action, some great highlights that will be played for some time, but also, a bit of controversy. This event really had it all.

This card went through the pits but ultimately unraveled in a great way. With the original main and co-main event fights having to swap in new fighters, last night's action wasn't what we were expecting to see just a month ago. However, the Volkanovski rematch was arguably a better fight and Khamzat Chimaev vs Kamaru Usman has been a dream fight since ‘Borz' made his presence known in the UFC.

Well, we got what we wanted last night! Let's talk about the action.

UFC 294 Results: Islam Makhachev Retains his Gold

Feb 12, 2023; Perth, WA, AUSTRALIA; Islam Makhachev (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Alexander Volkanovski (blue gloves) for the lightweight championship during UFC 284 at RAC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

What a sport this is. Nobody expected this to happen. Alexander Volkanovski is widely and irrefutably regarded as one of the bets fighters in the world right now. Makhachev, a life-long grappler that has put in a lot of time and effort to round out his game, was able to knock Volk out.

Now, there is certainly red tape surrounding this; Volkanovski took the fight on 11-days' notice and he moved up to lightweight, a division up from his home at featherweight where he holds the title. Makhachev used his body kicks very well, but it was when he took the kick upstairs that he found victory.

Dana White is making it seem like the originally slated rematch for UFC 294 is next for the champ, that being a bout against Charles Oliveira. As for Volkanovski, it's impossible not to respect the risk he took and the courage he has. He's got a very tough task ahead of him in Ilia Topuria, who is rightfully next for a title shot at 145lbs.

UFC Results: Khamzat Chimaev Narrowly Defeats Kamaru Usman

Apr 9, 2022; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Khamzat Chimaev (blue gloves) after a fight against Gilbert Burns (red gloves) during UFC 273 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

This was a fight that we all thought would happen at some point, but not at middleweight. Usman is the former welterweight champion and he's thought of as one of the best 170lb fighters to ever do it. He's dropped a few losses to the current champ, Leon Edwards, and stepped in on 11-days' notice to take on Chimaev.

The early goings of this fight were similar to what we see Chimaev do to other opponents, but Usman is quite the grappler himself; he stayed calm, mitigated any damage coming his way, and made it to round two. Here, we saw Usman have success on the feet, but it was a close one. Chimaev did reportedly break his wrist in round one, but he still performed well.

Both fighters looked great here, and we got some answers — Chimaev is ready for a title fight, and Usman really hasn't missed a beat, he's just lost two close fights after taking that last-minute loss to Leon Edwards back at UFC. The matchmaking after this one will be very interesting.

UFC 294 Results: Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker Ends Anticlimactically

Dec 10, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Magomed Ankalaev (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Jan Blachowicz (red gloves) during UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

This one went downhill right when it was getting exciting. Johnny Walker showed a lot of poise and composure in this fight, but he did stay true to his unpredictable style. The two were in a clinch situation on the fence and that's when Ankalaev threw an illegal knee that landed right on the chin of a downed Walker.

We're not going to throw any shade, but the ringside physician at UFC 294 is on the receiving end of a lot of hate right now. He called this fight off and he also had a controversial moment earlier on the card when he told Victor Henry that a cup shot was not low. The no contest end to this definitely was a down-shift for the night.

UFC 294 Results – Main Card

• Islam Makhachev defeats Alexander Volkanovski via KO
• Khamzat Chimaev defeats Kamaru Usman via majority decision
• Johnny Walker and Magomed Ankalaev ends in a no contest
• Ikram Aliskerov defeats Warlley Alves via KO
• Said Nurmagomedov defeats Muin Gafurov via submission