UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski came really close to becoming a two-division champ at UFC 284. The ‘Great’ faced off against the reigning lightweight king, Islam Makhachev, in a clash for the 155-pound title. This matchup emerged as one of the most exciting and controversial fights of the year, showcasing the remarkable skill sets of both the top fighters.
When the time for the decision came, it was Makhachev whose hand was raised in triumph. However, the MMA community remained deeply divided, with many still maintaining that Volkanovski was ‘robbed’ of a well-deserved victory.
YouTuber turned boxer Logan Paul feels the same, as he recently expressed his frustration with the judges’ decision in a podcast with Volkanovski himself. Logan said that he failed to understand how Volk did not win the fight despite being dominant throughout. “I was upset for a while. I have a really serious problem with judging in combat sports,” said the popular podcaster.
“Its shocking to me how judges can subjectively decide who wins the fight on criteria that is not really understood… Cause you outstruck him, out landed him.”– he added. Paul also said that according to him Volkanovski out-landed Islam and did not take much damage when he was taken down.
Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski I: fight stats
In the main event of UFC 284, the two champions contended for the lightweight title and delivered an impressive performance, a sentiment that was also reflected in the statistics provided by official UFC records.
Surprisingly for some, Makhachev demonstrated a more proficient striking ability than one would have guessed, managing to briefly drop Volkanovski to one knee and, of course, executing crucial takedowns at regular intervals with a success rate of 44%.
Volkanovski, on the other hand, displayed an unexpected level of grappling prowess, effectively nuetralizing his opponent’s offensive grappling attempts. However, he could not take down his Dagestani opponent in his four attempts to do so. ‘The Great,’ in the stand-up exchanges, also displayed his striking superiority by landing 164 strikes out of 255 attempts, while Islam only managed to hit 95 strikes out of 135 attempts.
Alexander Volkanovski rewatched his fight and thinks he won against Islam Makhachev #UFC284 pic.twitter.com/BBSlivHLvE
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) February 12, 2023
However, in the significant strikes department, Islam Makhachev had the upper hand, as he achieved a solid 60% success rate, surpassing his Australian counterpart, whose success rate was 48%. When it came to controlling the fight, Islam Makhachev clearly dominated, spending a total of seven minutes and 37 seconds in a superior position on top of his opponent. Volkanovski could only muster a meagre two minutes and 55 seconds in a similar position.
Ultimately, Islam was declared the winner in a fight that is considered to be one of the best showdowns in the UFC in the recent past. Nevertheless, Alexander Volkanovski has once again been given the opportunity to achieve the legendary double champ status as he faces Islam Makhachev in a rematch this weekend in Abu Dhabi, UAE.