Makhachev edges Volkanovski to retain UFC lightweight title

Islam Makhachev became the UFC lightweight champion in 2022. And now, he's taken out the pound-for-pound king.

Defending his title for the first time, Makhachev defeated featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) in the UFC 284 main event Saturday night in Perth, Australia.

Makhachev is the first to beat Volkanovski in the UFC. Volkanovski, who's from Australia, was attempting to become the fifth fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously. Instead, he saw his 22-fight winning streak end with his first professional loss since 2013.

This marked the first time in UFC history that the top two pound-for-pound male fighters faced off, with Volkanovski ranked No. 1 and Makhachev just below at No. 2.

Makhachev said afterward Volkanovski was a surprisingly "hard" opponent, but he believes the victory proved that he is the better fighter.

"I showed why I'm No. 1," Makhachev said in his postfight interview. "(My future opponents) have to improve more. (Volkanovski) has good striking, good wrestling (and) grappling skills. This is his area. But (whether) you like or you don't like, I am the best fighter in the world right now."

In a back-and-forth competitive fight, Makhachev scraped out the victory over Volkanovski using a mix of surprisingly sharp striking and his patented grappling. The 31-year-old dropped Volkanovski to a knee with a left hand in the first round and tagged him with punches throughout. Makhachev secured four takedowns and controlled the 34-year-old in a body lock for almost the entire fourth round.

However, Volkanovski was a serious test for Makhachev - easily the biggest challenge of his run as a top lightweight contender. The former's takedown and submission defense were on point, and he rocked Makhachev with hard punches. Volkanovski especially did a good job of returning to his feet after getting taken down.

"I thought it was going to be easy on the ground," Makhachev said. "But this guy improved a lot."

Volkanovski rallied in the fifth round, dropping his opponent before landing ground-and-pound, but it wasn't enough for the judges to award him the victory.

In the end, the size of Makhachev - who was visibly taller than his adversary - appeared to be one of the difference-makers. At times, Volkanovski struggled to find his range and resorted to rushing forward with big shots. He was slightly more active on the feet, but the Russian fighter's offense seemed to have a bit more of an impact.

"It was a fun fight," Volkanovski said in his postfight interview. "Maybe I could have capitalized on some positions a bit more. Left it a little late.

"(Makhachev) didn't respect my wrestling (and) grappling, and I guess maybe I didn't respect his striking enough either because he landed some shots," he added.

Volkanovski left the door open on a rematch with Makhachev, saying "maybe we'll settle pound-for-pound No. 1 again."

Makhachev now owns the UFC's longest active winning streak at 12, taking that distinction from Volkanovski, who also held 12 victories heading into the bout.

Last October, Makhachev captured the vacant 155-pound title with a second-round submission of former champion Charles Oliveira. He earned the title shot by beating the likes of Dan Hooker, Thiago Moises, and Bobby Green. The successor of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has lost only once in his pro career, in a first-round knockout against Adriano Martins in his second UFC appearance in 2015.

Volkanovski moved up in weight to challenge for a second UFC title after going on a tear at featherweight over the last five years. He won the 145-pound belt in a unanimous decision victory over Max Holloway in 2019 and has defended it four times - against Holloway (twice), Brian Ortega, and Chan Sung Jung.

Since "The Great" moved up to face Makhachev, the UFC created an interim title in the featherweight division, which Yair Rodriguez captured earlier Saturday night with a submission win over Josh Emmett. Volkanovski said he plans to stay active and will fight Rodriguez to unify the featherweight belts later in 2023.

"Just because I pulled up short tonight, that doesn't change a thing. I'm a man of my word," Volkanovski said. "I'll be back in the lightweight division, but for now, let me go and settle this featherweight division. Congrats to Yair, and now we build up a big featherweight fight. Let's go."

Volkanovski sent a message to the rest of the 145-pound division, saying he's "a better fighter" because of the fight with Makhachev.

"The featherweights, you better f-----g watch out," Volkanovski said. "You challenge yourself like this, it only makes you stronger."

This was Volkanovski's first fight in his native Australia since February 2018, when he improved to 4-0 in the UFC.