Volkanovski's X-Factor: Short-Notice Circumstances

Volkanovski might not have been in fight camp when he got the call to step in and fight Makhachev on less than two weeks' notice, but there is no question he was training. Still, even if he is in great condition, he has very little time to develop a game plan for Makhachev, who he failed to defeat less than nine months ago. Most fans would give Volkanovski a good shot of beating Makhachev in a rematch under normal circumstances, but on such short notice, the featherweight king faces a steep uphill climb.

The other side of the coin is that Makhachev is also gearing up for a short-notice fight. Yes, he was preparing for a matchup with Oliveira on the same date, but Oliveira and Volkanovski are nothing alike beyond their status as elite fighters. In fact, the game plan Makhachev and his coaches at American Kickboxing Academy developed for Oliveira is surely crunched up in a trash can somewhere in San Jose. He might be in better condition than Volkanovski, but he has just as little time to prepare for their unexpected rematch.