| UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski | ||||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
| Date | February 12, 2023 (2023-02-12) | |||
| Venue | RAC Arena | |||
| City | Perth, Australia | |||
| Attendance | 14,124[1] | |||
| Total gate | $4,086,687.70[1] | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski was amixed martial arts event produced by theUltimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 12, 2023, atRAC Arena inPerth, Australia.[2]
The event marked the promotion's 16th overall trip to Australia, returning to the country for the first time sinceUFC 243 inMelbourne in October 2019.[3]
AUFC Lightweight Championship bout between current championIslam Makhachev and currentUFC Featherweight ChampionAlexander Volkanovski headlined the event.[4] This was the eighth time in UFC history that champions in different divisions fought for the same title, followingUFC 94,UFC 205,UFC 226,UFC 232,UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw,UFC 259, andUFC 277. If successful, Volkanovski would have become the fourth man to be champion in two divisions simultaneously and fifth fighter overall (afterConor McGregor atUFC 205,Daniel Cormier atUFC 226,Amanda Nunes atUFC 232 andUFC 277, andHenry Cejudo atUFC 238), as well as the eighth person overall to win a title in different divisions.[5] It was also the first time in the organization's history that the number 1 pound-for-pound fighter (Volkanovski) faced the number 2 fighter (Makhachev) for a championship.[6]
An interimUFC Featherweight Championship bout betweenThe Ultimate Fighter: Latin America featherweight winnerYair Rodríguez andJosh Emmett took place at the event.[7]
A middleweight bout between formerUFC Middleweight Champion (alsoThe Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes welterweight winner)Robert Whittaker and former title challengerPaulo Costa was linked to this event.[8] However, Costa disputed the official announcement by the promotion indicating he had never signed a contract and the fight would not take place.[9][10] The pair was previously expected to headlineUFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum in April 2021, but Costa withdrew due to illness.[11]
A flyweight bout between formerUFC Flyweight Championship challengersAlex Perez andKai Kara-France (the latter for the interim title) was scheduled for this event.[12] They were once booked for an event atSan Diego on May 16, 2020, but the card was moved to a different location due to theCOVID-19 pandemic and the bout eventually never took place.[13][14] In turn, the bout was canceled in late December as Kara-France suffered an undisclosed injury.[15] Perez was rescheduled for a bout against formerRizin Bantamweight ChampionManel Kape atUFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen on March 25.[16]
A women's strawweight bout betweenLoma Lookboonmee andElise Reed was scheduled forUFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivak.[17] However, the pair was moved to this event for undisclosed reasons.[18]
A lightweight bout betweenNasrat Haqparast andJamie Mullarkey was expected to take place at the event.[19] However, Haqparast withdrew due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Francisco Prado.[20]
A lightweight bout betweenJoel Álvarez andZubaira Tukhugov was scheduled for the event.[21] However, Alvarez withrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Elves Brenner.[22] At the weigh-ins, Tukhugov weighed in at 157.5 pounds, one and a half pound over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Tukhugov was fined 30% of his purse, which went to Brenner.[23]
A heavyweight bout between promotional newcomerJunior Tafa andAusten Lane was scheduled for this event.[24] However, Lane withdrew due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced byWaldo Cortes-Acosta.[25] In turn, it was announced a few days later that Tafa withdrew due to injury and the bout was scrapped.[26]
A light heavyweight bout betweenTyson Pedro andZhang Mingyang was expected to take place at the event.[27] However, Zhang withdrew for unknown reasons and was replaced byModestas Bukauskas.[28]
Also at the weigh-ins, Kleydson Rodrigues missed weight. He weighed in at 127 pounds, one pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight with Rodrigues being fined 20% of his purse, which went to his opponent Shannon Ross.[23]
During the event's broadcast, the inaugural and formerUFC Lightweight ChampionJens Pulver was announced as the next "pioneer wing"UFC Hall of Fame inductee.[29]
| Main card | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Lightweight | Islam Makhachev (c) | def. | Alexander Volkanovski | Decision (unanimous) (48–47, 48–47, 49–46) | 5 | 5:00 | [a] |
| Featherweight | Yair Rodríguez | def. | Josh Emmett | Submission (triangle choke) | 2 | 4:19 | [b] |
| Welterweight | Jack Della Maddalena | def. | Randy Brown | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 1 | 2:13 | |
| Heavyweight | Justin Tafa | def. | Parker Porter | KO (punch) | 1 | 1:06 | |
| Light Heavyweight | Jimmy Crute | vs. | Alonzo Menifield | Draw (majority) (29–27, 28–28, 28–28) | 3 | 5:00 | [c] |
| Preliminary card (ESPN / ESPN+) | |||||||
| Light Heavyweight | Modestas Bukauskas | def. | Tyson Pedro | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Featherweight | Joshua Culibao | def. | Melsik Baghdasaryan | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 2 | 2:02 | |
| Catchweight (127 lb) | Kleydson Rodrigues | def. | Shannon Ross | TKO (punches) | 1 | 0:59 | |
| Lightweight | Jamie Mullarkey | def. | Francisco Prado | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass) | |||||||
| Featherweight | Jack Jenkins | def. | Don Shainis | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Women's Strawweight | Loma Lookboonmee | def. | Elise Reed | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 2 | 0:44 | |
| Featherweight | Blake Bilder | def. | Shane Young | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Catchweight (157.5 lb) | Elves Brener | def. | Zubaira Tukhugov | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[31]
