The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s annual trip to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday looks much better now than it did two weeks ago. Initially slated to see Islam Makhachev defend his lightweight crown against Charles Oliveira, the UFC 294 headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi received a surprising upgrade a week and a half out, as Oliveira was replaced by featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski for a rematch of their classic encounter in February. Meanwhile, the co-main event sees former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman move up to 185 pounds to take on Khamzat Chimaev—a far more intriguing bout than the original pairing between Chimaev and Paulo Costa.
Preview: UFC 294 ‘Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2’
