Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski Preview & Picks
Islam Makhachev is tipped to retain the UFC lightweight title.
Makhachev is an elusive fighter who takes little damage and can dictate where the fight unfolds.
That is usually on the mat, and when he gets opponents there he has a habit of finishing them.
- Islam Makhachev is on an 11-fight win streak
- Islam Makhachev has submitted 4 of his last 5 opponents
- Islam Makhachev has stopped 4 of his last 5 opponents inside 3 rounds
- Makhachev absorbs 0.95 strikes per minute (Volkanovski 3.53)
- Makhachev averages 3.42 takedowns every 15 minutes
Islam Makhachev Form
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is on an 11-fight win streak that has taken his record to 23-1.
Makhachev has 11 submission wins on his record, with four of his wins coming via KO/TKO and eight by decision.
The 31-year-old Russian was knocked out in his second fight in the UFC, but since then has been on a tear.
He surged into title contention between March 2021 and October 2022 with a string of stoppage wins.
Makhachev submitted Drew Dober in the third round at UFC 259 and then tapped out Thiago Moises in the fourth round of a Fight Night event a couple of months later.
The Russian star then capped off a perfect 2021 by submitting Dan Hooker less than two-and-a-half minutes into their fight at UFC 267.
He then then extended his streak in February 2022 by stopping Bobby Green with strikes in the first round – his first KO/TKO success since 2018.
However, Makhachev went back to his usual way of finishing fights last October to win the UFC lightweight title, tapping out Charles Oliveira in the second round.
Alexander Volkanovski Form
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has won 22 straight fights and boasts a 25-1 record.
Twelve of his 25 victories have come by KO/TKO, with 10 wins coming via decision and three by submission.
Volkanovski catapulted himself into title contention in 2019 when he followed up a second-round TKO of Chad Mendes with a decision win against Jose Aldo.
He then completed his rise in December 2019 by earning a unanimous decision win against Max Holloway.
The 34-year-old Australian then beat Holloway by split decision in his first defence, before earning the nod from all three judges in a decision win against Brian Ortega.
Volkanovski made his next defence against Chan-Sung Jung, aka ‘The Korean Zombie’, in April 2022 and kept his streak going.
He got the job done by strikes too, ending a run of over three years without a stoppage win.
That set up a trilogy fight with Max Holloway last July, and once again the Australian fighter got the nod from the judges after five rounds.
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski FAQs
Where can I watch the Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski live stream?
You can watch the Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski live stream at Stake.
Where is Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski taking place?
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski is taking place at UFC 284 on Saturday, February 11 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.