- Alexander Volkanovski is reportedly ‘obsessed’ with rematching Islam Makhachev
- Featherweight champion came in on 11 days notice for the UFC 294 main event
- UFC explored other options for a co-main event before turning to Kamaru Usman
Alexander Volkanovski is reportedly ‘obsessed’ with the prospect of rematching Islam Makhachev ahead of their lightweight title fight at UFC 294.
The UFC featherweight champion will hire Makhachev as a short-notice replacement on Saturday night as he has just 11 days to prepare for the event’s main fight.
However, the 35-year-old is eager for the chance to face Makhachev again after the lightweight king handed him his first UFC defeat earlier this year.
After the promotion returned to Volkanovski’s native Australia for UFC 293 last month, Volkanovski met with UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell to discuss the next defense of his 145-pound title.
According to a report from ESPNAs plans were made for a future clash with featherweight contender Ilia Topuria, Campbell was particularly struck by Volkanovski’s burning desire to get revenge on Makhachev.
Alexander Volkanovski is reportedly ‘obsessed’ with the prospect of emulating Islam Makhachev again
Makhachev handed the Australian his first defeat in the Octagon at UFC 284 earlier this year
But Volkanovski will get his chance at redemption when the pair face off at UFC 294 on Saturday
“(Volkanovski) kept telling me, ‘I know if I get another chance, I can beat him,’” Campbell said. “He was obsessed with it.”
Makhachev was awarded the title at UFC 284 after five action-packed rounds that divided fans, with some claiming Volkanovski deserved the decision.
The pair were expected to meet again in the Octagon sometime next year, but fate has brought the Australian back into the fold.
After Charles Oliveira was forced to withdraw from his own long-awaited rematch with Makhachev, Volkanovski wasted no time in accepting the opportunity to replace the Brazilian in a bid to become a two-weight world champion.
While Volkanovski was the UFC’s first choice as a late replacement in Saturday’s main event, the same couldn’t be said for Kamaru Usman.
After weeks of speculation, Paulo Costa was ruled out of his co-main event clash with Khamzat Chimaev, with the former welterweight champion announced as the Brazilian’s replacement to much fanfare.
However, before Costa was officially removed from the event, the UFC explored multiple options before ultimately turning to Usman.
The UFC contacted both Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier to replace Paulo Costa against Khamzat Chimaev
But with both unavailable, the promotion turned to former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman
The promotion is said to have first turned to Sean Strickland as a potential replacement, a move that would have elevated the co-headliner to a middleweight title fight.
However, just six weeks removed from his win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, Strickland reportedly turned down the fight, noting that the timing didn’t make sense to him.
Perennial middleweight prospect Jared Cannonier was also approached as a potential replacement, but the American subsequently suffered his own injury in training, ruling him out of the fight.
With two potential options unavailable, the UFC turned to Usman and the 36-year-old agreed to take the fight with the stipulation that he would be awarded a middleweight title shot if he handed Chimaev his first defeat .