UFC 284 PPV “Makhachev Vs Volkanovski” + Weekly MMA Report
We had a pretty much weird card last weekend, as it aired a bit late for the USA time. Yet, there were many finishes. The main event was one-sided demolition, as Serghei Spivac destroyed Derrick Lewis in the first round with a fabulous submission, which impressed Dana White, who gave him the Performance of the Night award.
Spivak vs Lewis takedowns. #UFC pic.twitter.com/9dMpZmpOtD
— ClippyMcClipFace. (@UnitedAnother) February 5, 2023
Other POTN awards went into the hands of Rinya Nakamura, who smoked Toshiomi Kazama in the early stages of the first round, Anshul Jubli, who stopped Jeka Saragih with a great combo of ground and pound shots, and prelim opener Tatsuro Taira, who submitted Jesus Santos Aguilar with a first-round triangle armbar.
So @Twitter decided on not posting, anyhow: over on @ufc Kazama vs Nakamura…I legit called it and said that boy is going to run into a knockout… Kazama got knocked down once, then got up, threw a couple punches, then a shitty left punch and got caught – KO!#CUWC1063 pic.twitter.com/tL0E90D3KT
— Ͳ卄ǝ ¢Ӈя𝕚Ƨ ℭⓐɎ∂εИ (@TheChrisCayden) February 5, 2023
🚨 TATSURO TAIRA🇯🇵 TERMINE LE PROSPECT JESUS AGUILAR🇲🇽 AU 1ER ROUND SUR SOUMISSION!! 2EME FINISHES DE SUITE POUR AUTANT DE SOUMISSIONS
13-0 en MMA
3-0 À L'UFC#UFCVegas64 pic.twitter.com/QVcapBstzr— MMA EMPIRE ⚔️ #UFC283 (@LempireMMA) February 5, 2023
Unfortunately, Fedor Emelianenko was forced to retire with a loss in the main event of Bellator 290 – Ryan Bader smoked him out in the rematch. “The Last Emperor” hung up his gloves after this loss.
Möcüzə olmadı Fyodor dayı məğlub oldu. #RyanBader #Bellator290 turnirində, #FedorEmelianenko 'nu ilk raundda tko ilə məğlub edib kəmərini qoruyur. Bu imperatorun son döyüşü idi.#fedorvsbader#RyanvsFedor pic.twitter.com/2dW4ff08Td
— MMA Azerbaycan (@MMAAzerbaycan) February 5, 2023
This event is going to be the fireworks. The UFC travels across the pond to Australia for another lovely pay-per-view, UFC 284, headlined by the clash between the current 155-pound king Islam Makhachev and the 145-pound division champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Image source: UFC Brasil Twitter
Makhachev is one of the most dominant wrestlers to ever step inside the Octagon. If he drags you to the canvas, it is almost impossible to work your way back on your feet. His right hook rocks, plus his defensive skills are amazing.
Volkanovski is one of the greatest all-around fighters, and probably the most powerful 145er at the moment. The former rugby player spends hours in the gym every day, which explains his super-human strength. Makhachev will have to stay away from his punches by any means necessary.
Prediction: Makhachev to win
The co-main event hosts the combat between Taekwondo black belt and superb kicker Yair Rodriguez and extremely tough Josh Emmett. As long as Emmett keeps the fight on the ground he should be fine, but Yair’s takedown defense and long-range strikes are by far the best in the 145-pound division.
Prediction: over 2.5 rounds
Please take a look at the rest of the card, but please check this link due to a potential last-minute changes.
Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 10 PM ET, 3 AM UK time)
UFC Lightweight Championship: Islam Makhachev (23-1-0) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (25-1-0)
UFC Interim Featherweight Championship: Yair Rodriguez (14-3-0) vs. Josh Emmett (18-2-0)
Welterweight: Randy Brown (16-4-0) vs. Jack Della Maddalena (13-2-0)
Heavyweight: Justin Tafa (5-3-0) vs. Parker Porter (13-7-0)
Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute (12-3-0) vs. Alonzo Menifield (13-3-0)
Preliminary Card (ESPN, ESPN+, UFC on Fight Pass, 8 PM ET, 1 AM UK time)
Light Heavyweight: Tyson Pedro (9-3-0) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (13-5-0)
Featherweight: Joshua Culibao (10-1-1) vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan (7-1-0)
Flyweight: Kleydson Rodrigues (7-2-0) vs. Shannon Ross (13-6-0)
Lightweight: Jamie Mullarkey (15-5-0) vs. Francisco Prado (11-0-0)
Early Prelims (ESPN+, UFC On Fight Pass, 6 PM ET, 11 PM UK time)
Featherweight: Jack Jenkins (10-2-0) vs. Don Shainis (12-4-0)
Strawweight: Loma Lookboonmee (7-3-0) vs. Elise Reed (6-2-0)
Featherweight: Blake Bilder (7-0-1) vs. Shane Young (13-6-0)
Featherweight: Zubaira Tukhugov (20-5-1) vs. Elves Brenner (13-3-0)
Here are my predictions for the upcoming UFC 284 card:
This is going to be one of the best events of the year, two title fights are on the line. Don’t miss this amazing event, it kicks off on Saturday at 6 PM ET!
[…] UFC 284 was an amazing card, where we’ve seen so many high-level all-around wars and performances. So many amazing Octagon warriors showed their best skills to Dana White, and he was having a hard time giving the rewards. Here is the list of the winners. […]