UFC 294 Predictions: Bleacher Report Main Card Staff Picks | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Sarah Rodriguez UFC 294 goes down this Saturday in Abu Dhabi, and there are a lot of reasons to be excited for it.
The card was stacked from the outset, but in the last two weeks, it has transformed into a totally different and arguably much better version of itself.
The main event was originally supposed to be a rematch between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and the man he won the belt from, Charles Oliveira. Yet when Oliveira was forced out of the fight with a cut, reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski stepped in to replace him on just 10 days' notice.
It will be Volkanovski's second meeting with Makhachev after suffering a razor-close decision loss to the lightweight champ earlier this year.
The card's co-main event also got a facelift on about 10 days' notice. Co-headlining honors were originally set to go to a middleweight fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa. When Costa withdrew from the fight to undergo surgery, however, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman stepped in to meet Chimaev.
Usman is considered one of the best welterweights in MMA history and will be making his debut at middleweight, while Chimaev will be returning to the weight class after several years away.
The middle bout of the main card will be contested at light heavyweight, with Top 10 contenders Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker battling in what could turn out to be a No. 1 contender fight.
Before that, once-beaten middleweight Ikram Aliskerov will take on replacement opponent Warlley Alves, who is stepping up a division after a string of losses at welterweight.
The main-card opener, finally, will go down at bantamweight, with Said Nurmagomedov looking to rebound from a loss against ONE Championship and LFA veteran Muin Gafurov.
Keep scrolling to see how the B/R combat sports squad sees these five main-card fights going.