UFC 284 - and Alexander Volkanovski's shot at champ-champ status - is upon us.
In Saturday's main event, Volkanovski, the featherweight champion, will move up in weight to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in a historic showdown between the UFC's No. 1- and 2-ranked pound-for-pound male fighters.
Here are three key storylines heading into the event, which marks the promotion's first trip to Australia - Volkanovski's home country - since October 2019.
Dictating the future of 2 divisions
The result of Makhachev-Volkanovski will significantly impact both lightweight and featherweight. And it could lay out the landscape of those divisions for years to come.
If Makhachev wins, it'll cement the Russian as a dominant force atop the 155-pound ladder. Many believe he'll reign over the division for several years, just like his predecessor and teammate, UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. Volkanovski is one of the toughest tests out there for Makhachev, so a win would be impressive, even as a sizable betting favorite. The conversations going forward would be about who, if anyone, can overcome his Dagestani dominance.
Meanwhile, Volkanovski would focus on 145 pounds again. He could always move back up to 155 pounds to test his luck for a second time. However, it wouldn't make sense to prioritize that division when he holds gold at featherweight. Volkanovski would presumably face the winner of the UFC 284 co-main event between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett, which is for the interim featherweight title. The Volkanovski era - at featherweight - would resume as normal.
But if Volkanovski pulls off the upset against Makhachev, that would seriously shake up both divisions. Of the four simultaneous two-division champions in UFC history, only Amanda Nunes went back to her original weight class at some point (and that's because the other one hardly exists). Even if Volkanovski plans to defend both titles with any sort of consistency, it would be difficult to pull off. A win over Makhachev could mean his days at featherweight are over.
A permanent move to lightweight would open up a plethora of new matchups for Volkanovski, such as Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. Suddenly, the best division in the UFC would become even more exciting. All the while, Makhachev - thought to be a dominant champion who could break divisional records - would be in redemption mode. It would be a fascinating time at 155 pounds.
Under those circumstances, the featherweight division would suddenly be wide open. Its champion since December 2019 - the third-longest active reign after Nunes at women's featherweight and Valentina Shevchenko at women's flyweight - would be gone. It would create an opportunity for the winner of Rodriguez-Emmett to reign as champion (briefly, at the very least) and be a lucky break for former champ Max Holloway, who has lost three times to Volkanovski but would suddenly be back in the mix.
Of course, we can't completely count out Volkanovski from defending both titles - which would be pretty epic. No matter who wins, this fight means a lot for both divisions, and a Volkanovski victory would alter the landscape entirely. Buckle in.
Volkanovski chasing all-time status
Win or lose this weekend (and, frankly, the rest of his career), Volkanovski will have a great legacy. With four title defenses and three signature wins over Holloway on his resume, he's clearly the second-greatest featherweight of all time behind Jose Aldo.
But Volkanovski, already the UFC pound-for-pound king, wants more.
With a victory over Makhachev, Volkanovski would be the fifth fighter to hold two UFC belts simultaneously and the second to do it at lightweight and featherweight (after Conor McGregor). He'd be 13-0 in the UFC, three wins shy of tying Anderson Silva's record for the longest winning streak in promotion history. He'd also be 26-1 as a pro. Volkanovski would have wins over the likes of Makhachev, Aldo, Holloway, Chad Mendes, Brian Ortega, and Chan Sung Jung - the who's who of his generation.
Truthfully, Volkanovski would be an all-time great. A legend. And in terms of active fighters, it would drastically widen the gap between him and No. 2 in the pound-for-pound rankings.
There would be no more doubting him. Ever.
Even if he comes up short in his bid for a second UFC championship, Volkanovski could very well enter the conversation as one of the best fighters to ever do it. A few more title defenses at 145 pounds, and we may be talking about him surpassing Aldo as the best featherweight ever. While this fight with Makhachev isn't necessarily do-or-die regarding his legacy, it could help Volkanovski attain greatness even quicker.
Is Della Maddalena the real deal?
Acclaimed welterweight prospect Jack Della Maddalena has a big opportunity in front of him.
The native of Perth, Australia - where UFC 284 is set to take place - will face Randy Brown in a featured bout on pay-per-view. It's a fairly significant step up in competition for Della Maddalena following a successful first year on the UFC roster. He broke through as someone to watch with three knockout wins, all in the first round. Della Maddalena competed and won on Dana White's Contender Series in 2021.
Brown, a seven-year UFC veteran, has won four in a row, seemingly making strides in recent years after going 6-4 in his first 10 bouts in the Octagon. He's also massive for the welterweight division at 6-foot-3 with a 78-inch reach. If Della Maddalena impressively passes this test, there's a good chance he'll be looking at a ranked opponent later in 2023.
