The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi this weekend and is headlined by Lightweight Title fight between current champion Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski.
Both Charles Oliveira, who has originally slated to take on Makhachev, and Paulo Costa were forced out of the card due to injury within two weeks of the event taking place.
Khamzat Chimaev will now face former UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at Middleweight in the co-main event.
The entire card is excellent and we have offered our thoughts and betting plays for the entire main card below.
The last time we saw Islam Makhachev was on Australian soil in February when he defended his UFC Lightweight title for the first time against Aussie Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
There were many that thought Volk did enough to secure victory that night but it was a unanimous decision from the judges.
That was the 24th win in just 25 professional MMA fights for the Dagestani champ but he had his hands full that afternoon.
Volk went straight back to work in the Featherweight division after that loss, defending his belt for a fifth time with a third round TKO against Yair Rodriguez.
He required surgery on his hand straight after that fight making him unavailable for UFC 293 in Sydney but he did not hesitate when offered this short notice chance at redemption against Makhachev.
This is a tall order to go up in weight without a full training camp and while Volk more than held his own in their first meeting, Makhachev still managed to control a lot of the fight with his wrestling.
I expect Volk to come out swinging, but the longer the fight lasts, the better it will be for his opponent.
The Aussie champ is as tough as they come but Makhachev will likely get this fight to the ground at some stage and can get a submission.
3 Units Islam Makhachev By Submission @ $3.20
Khamzat Chimaev is sure to have the local crowd on his side as he attempts to remain undefeated in his 13th professional MMA fight.
Six of those wins have been in the UFC and only one required a judge’s judges decision against Gilbert Burns in April 2022.
That was a fight I actually scored in favour of Burns and the Brazilian had plenty of success by keeping the fight on the feet.
Kamaru Usman would be smart in using that blueprint because if Khamzat has a weakness, that is it.
Of course, Usman is a former champion of the welterweight division who defended his belt five times before back to back losses against Leon Edwards.
He is one of the best wrestlers that division has seen but going up a weight class is foreign ground for him.
Kudos to Usman for taking this fight on such short notice but it takes away his main advantage that he would have had over Chimaev which is his cardio.
With only three rounds to navigate, I think Khamzat walks away victorious, likely via a TKO with ground and pound.
2 Units Khamzat Chimaev by KO/TKO
Ankalaev’s fighting resume is excellent and he has suffered just the single defeat in 20 professional fights.
That loss came back in 2018 to the submission artist Paul Craig and he followed that with nine straight wins to earn a shot at the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight title.
That fight against Jan Blachowicz ended in a split draw but a win in this contest would likely see him get another shot at UFC gold.
Johnny Walker Brazilian Johnny Walker suffered four losses in five fights including a brutal KO loss to Jamahal Hill which put his titles aspirations on the back burner.
Entering this fight however, he has now won his last three in a row, two of which have been stoppages.
His unique style and unpredictable striking make him a dangerous opponent for anyone and he has one shot KO power.
While Walker does seem a big price, I’m tipping the fight won’t need the judges.
4 Units Fight Does Not Go The Distance
Ikram Aliskerov is a Dagestani fighter with just one loss on his professional MMA record and that loss came via a first round KO against Khamzat Chimaev at 180lbs.
He made his UFC debut at UFC 288 in May this year resulting in a first round KO win over Phil Hawes.
Like many fighters from that part of Russia he has excellent wrestling credentials and is a dangerous submission threat.
Warlley Alves is a Brazilian kickboxer who made his debut in the UFC back in 2018.
He has gone 3-4 in the promotion since then, and faces an uphill battle in this contest.
Six of his 14 wins have been via submission but I do not expect him to enter the deep end on the canvas with Aliskerov.
2 Units Ikram Aliskerov by KO/TKO or Submission
A Bantamweight fight will open the main card as the name suggests, Said Nurmagomedov hails from Dagestan in Russia.
He put together four wins in a row before suffered a unanimous decision loss to Jonathon Martinez in March this year.
That was just the third time in his 20 professional fight career that he has tasted defeat and enters this contest as the favourite.
Muin Gafurov fights out of Tajikistan and has a record of 18 wins and five losses.
He made his UFC debut in in June but lost via decision and will be looking to get back in the winner’s column here in Abu Dhabi.
He spent a period of time in One Championship which is an excellent apprenticeship for the UFC and 10 of his 18 wins have been via KO/TKO.
2 Units Nurmagomedov by Decision OR Gafurov via KO/TKO