Charles Oliveira v Islam Makhachev 2 has just been announced as the main event match for UFC 294 on October 21st, 2023. The epic rematch between these two men is just one of several fights that have been confirmed for the event, and it’s already shaping up to be a great card. Paulo Costa will be also be competing at the event against rising middleweight star Khamzat Chimaev, while Nassourdine Imavov will face Ikram Aliskerov as well. The event will take place in Abu Dhabi, marking the first time that the world’s biggest MMA promotion has visited the country in 2023.
Although there are some great fights booked for UFC 294 and there will undoubtedly be several more, most of the attention will fall on Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev as they meet for the second time. The first time they met in the cage was at UFC 280, when Oliveira was riding an 11-fight winning streak and Makhachev had won 10 fights in a row. They were both at the top of the lightweight division and the belt was up for grabs for both men, as Oliveira was stripped of the title after missing weight for his fight with Justin Gaethje.
Makhachev won that fight by submission in the second round and became the new UFC lightweight world champion, a title he has since defended against Alexander Volkanovski. Although he took a bit of a longer break from competition than his rival, Oliveira also returned just a few months later. He bounced back with an electrifying first-round knockout of Beneil Dariush and immediately made the case for a rematch. Oliveira wasn’t alone in thinking he deserved one either, lots of fans wanted to see those two run it back and even Dana White himself knew it was the best fight to make.
The UFC announced that Charles Oliveira v Islam Makhachev 2 would serve as the main event match for UFC 294 in a post to their official Instagram account:
