Charles Oliveira out, Alexander Volkanovski to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 294

11 October 2023

In a stunning turn of events, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced on Tuesday that Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight title in a highly anticipated rematch against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294. This announcement comes after Charles Oliveira, originally slated for the bout against Makhachev, had to withdraw due to an injury, as confirmed by UFC President Dana White.

The news of Oliveira's withdrawal from the title fight with Makhachev took the MMA community by surprise. Dana White confirmed the unfortunate development, stating that Oliveira's injury has forced him to step out of the bout scheduled for next weekend at UFC 294. In a swift and unexpected move, Alexander Volkanovski has stepped in to fill the void, setting the stage for a riveting rematch for the UFC lightweight title.

White stated, "Round 5 of sparring last night, before he was supposed to fly out today, he split his eyebrow wide open."

In another twist to the unfolding UFC 294 drama, Dana White revealed that the co-main event bout between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev is also hanging in the balance. Costa recently underwent surgery a few weeks ago, and White expressed concern about the bout's status.

The UFC President mentioned that he expects to have clarity on the situation in the coming hours, leaving fight fans on the edge of their seats as they await updates on whether the highly anticipated Costa vs. Chimaev showdown will proceed as planned.

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The UFC 294 event, scheduled to take place in the coming weeks, is now poised to be a must-watch spectacle with the reshuffling of matchups and the newfound rivalry between Makhachev and Volkanovski taking center stage in the lightweight division. MMA enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting further updates on the Costa vs. Chimaev bout and the developments leading up to the highly anticipated UFC 294 event.

Dana White announces that Charles Oliveira is out of his fight with Islam at UFC 294 due to a cut in the “5th round” of a sparring session last night.

According to Dana, Alex Volkanovski is stepping in to fight Islam Makhachev on 10 days notice at UFC 294.

Islam vs Volk 2. pic.twitter.com/8w6pGbEKQ2

— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) October 11, 2023