Alexander Volkanovski brutally KO'd by a head kick in 'unbelievable' statement win

Islam Makhachev has ended any doubt that he is the best lightweight on the planet, knocking out featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the first round in the main event of UFC 294. Makhachev defeated Volkanovski at UFC 284 in February in a somewhat contentious decision victory but there were no questions about how he won the rematch.

The fight was put together when ex-champion Charles Oliveira was cut open in training and had to pull out, with Volkanovski stepping in on 11 days' notice. Makhachev was in command from the opening moments of the main event and from the start began kicking the challenger's legs and body before landing a kick to Volkanovski's head sending him crashing to the floor. He followed it up with a couple of ground-and-pound strikes and the fight was over.

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The UFC commentators said the champion's performance ended the pair's rivalry for good. “Holy smokes. That’s it. That’s the end of it (the rivalry)," Paul Felder said. "What a way to truly put a stamp on what was considered the toughest fight of his career,” Daniel Cormier added. "Unbelievable by Islam.”

The Aussie was attempting to become only the fifth man in UFC history to hold two titles in two different weight classes simultaneously. Post-fight Makhachev was full of praise for the contender. “I want to thank this guy,” Makhachev said. “I told you, you have to turn off the lights to beat this guy. He’s going to fight all five rounds. He’ll never give up. He’s a real champion.”

While Volkanovski applauded Makhachev for a 'great set-up' on the head kick knockout and said he will now go home and regroup before hopefully defending his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria in January. “A great set-up. A great kick. It’s hard, I don’t like losing. It hurts me,” Volkanovski said.

"He’s a great champion. I back myself every single time and I still stand by that. Credit to him. Please keep me busy. I’m happy to go back in January. Go back down to featherweight." Following his loss Volkanovski was seen sporting a large cut on his right eyebrow that might determine whether he’ll be able to return that quickly.

Khamzat Chimaev batters Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman may be one of the greatest fighters in the UFC but he was dismantled by hot prospect Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev's grappling smothered the Welterweight great in the co-main event of UFC 294 and saw him secure a majority decision win, by two scores of 29-27 and a 28-28.

Usman took the fight up a weight class against Chimaev on less than two weeks’ notice, replacing an injured Paulo Costa. Post-fight after begging for peace in the world and talking about how much it hurts him to see children being killed, Chimaev thanked the UFC for helping him, saying he would be living in a small room 2 meters by 2 meters if it was not for them.

His sights are now set on a championship bout with Sean Strickland, who won the UFC middleweight belt by defeating Israel Adesanya last month.

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