UFC 284

Ariel Helwani, Petesy Carroll, and Chuck Mindenhall take to Spotify Live immediately after a wild Sunday morning in Perth, Western Australia.

All the best, most interesting, and unquestionably coolest fights the UFC needs to book following their latest event in Perth, Australia.

Looks like he knew the score from the jump, coming out with a spinning back kick and a ton of pressure to start the fight. It may not be as big a fight as the Makhachev rematch that Volkanovski wants, but he set the challenge that the featherweight division needed to create a top contender for him to face. If that’s the case, I’ve got just the prospect on the rise for her to test herself against. Dontayle Mayes is set to take on Augusto Sakai in the near future, the winner of that seems like they’d make for a fun next challenge. Parker Porter came out looking to throw in volume and press the action and take a hard fight to the Aussie. Johnson looked like a killer against Jimmy Flick last time around, should be a good test for Rodrigues to see if he’s truly found his form in the Octagon. Emmett had his trademark power, and he even did a little wrestling—something he’s done all too rarely in the past—but the vast majority of the fight had Rodriguez kicking his foe to absolute pieces. He was devilishly difficult to take down, impossible to break, and when Makhachev lost even half a step Volkanovski was right there to pounce on him and make it clear that the long arc of the bout was very firmly in his favor. But, Volkanovski took on a huge task when he moved up to fight Makhachev and, even if judges could find a way to award him the victory, it feels like he had all the success he needed to claim victory. Later in the evening, however, he sounded less sure of that plan—with talk of an immediate rematch against the Dagestani, if he could get it. Michael Chandler & Conor McGregor are going to face off later this year, in a fight that could see McGregor directly back in the hunt. So, will Rodriguez get a chance to unify the belt at 145?

With Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski in the books, MMA Fighting's Shaun Al-Shatti breaks down the five biggest takeaways coming out of UFC 284's ...

[Alonzo Menifield](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3432/alonzo-menifield). [Jimmy Crute](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4575/jimmy-crute) vs. And neither Crute nor Menifield got a win bonus already budgeted out for the event, despite Crute probably losing a year off his own career from all the damage Menifield inflicted? There won’t be a dry eye in the house for Pulver’s Hall of Fame speech this summer. [Caol Uno](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/361/caol-uno) and [B.J. Penn](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/73/b-j-penn), rocked the sport and established why the lightweights deserved their place in MMA. Between [Khamzat Chimaev](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5368/khamzat-chimaev) and [Shavkat Rakhmonov](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5322/shavkat-rakhmonov), the new era of talent rising up the ranks at welterweight was already tantalizing — adding Della Maddalena to that mix feels almost cruel to the old warhorses still milling around the top of the division. He was also one of Miletich Fighting Systems’ Four Horsemen of the UFC at a time The UFC’s Hall of Fame has been a mixed bag of tricks over the years, but it’s an honor that has long been at the forefront of Pulver’s mind. The bout headlined an raucous return to Perth, Australia, which also saw [Yair Rodriguez](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3094/yair-rodriguez) capture an interim featherweight belt with a second-round submission of [Josh Emmett](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3686/josh-emmett), [Jack Della Maddalena](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5772/jack-della-maddalena) thrill his hometown crowd with a first-round statement win, plus much more. At UFC 284, Rodriguez was the best possible version of himself — dynamic, fast, creative, freakishly long for the division, and dangerous as all hell. Volkanovski certainly looked like the best fighter in the world on Saturday night — a fighter who just so happened to be noticeably smaller than the other champion standing across from him.

Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski is the reigning UFC featherweight champion and considered their official #1 pound-for-pound (P4P) fighter, which is to say ...

Volkanovski pounced and started laying in ground-and-pound as Makhachev struggled to survive. Knowing it could easily swing the bout in Makhachev's favor, Volkanovski entered the fifth and final round with a head of steam. Pressed up against the cage, Volkanovski couldn't get out, yet he still managed to punch over his shoulder and into his opponent's face over 40 times, busting him open in the process. This worked for most of the first round - then Makhachev figured him out and lured him against the cage. His opponent, Islam Makhachev is the reigning UFC lightweight champion and official #2 pound-for-pound (P4P) fighter. He has a record of 25-1, 12-0 in the UFC and in his last fight, demolished all-time great Max Holloway in a way nobody had done before.

A legendary UFC 284 card capped off with one of the best title fights MMA fans could have asked for. In a back-and-forth affair, No.

All three judges scored the round for Volkanovski. All three judges scored the round for Makhachev. The third round is up for interpretation. The biggest moment for Volk was when he dropped Islam with a right hand in the final minute of the fight. From there, he finished the round on top landing his signature ground-and-pound. Frustrated with the inactivity, Volk landed a flurry of punches from his back in a playful manner, hoping to hype the crowd up. Islam answered with a head kick that wobbled Volk and finished the round with back control and a takedown. The other judge gave the 10-9 to Makhachev. The second round opened up with both fighters landing in the exchanges. The third round was much closer as Volkanovski came out more aggressive. Islam pressured the rest of the round and won the striking exchanges. He landed big shots and out-struck Makhachev on the total 164-95.

5. Loma Lookboonmee levels up · 4. Jack Della Maddalena continues to roll · 3. Yair Rodriguez shines to claim interim gold · 2. Alexander Volkanovski deserves ...

1 pound-for-pound spot, and someone is going to need the performance a lifetime to take it away from him. But even with that slight bias in trying to look smart, I can’t come away from watching that fight live from cageside and claim Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) lost, or Volkanovski was robbed. He’s an absolute beast, and if you don’t think this five-round battle where he was tested to his very limit is going to make him better going forward, you’re kidding yourself. Instead, he decided to challenge himself and try to become just the fifth simultaneous two-division champion in company history. Volkanovski dared to be great when he could’ve been more risk-averse and protected his position, and that’s a mindset many people should take inspiration from. Volkanovski pushed Makhachev harder and further than anyone else has inside the octagon, and he was right on the cusp of getting it done. He’s a multi-layered threat in that cage, and every single one of his fights is a must-watch. Of course, it was indeed the power in his punches that floored Brown and set up the rear-naked choke, but the fact Maddalena had the wherewithal to seamlessly switch to the choke instead of punching goes to show he’s got some well-rounded instincts. And though he’s still not quite there with the interim belt rather than the undisputed one, he’s finally reached the level his supporters hope to see him at. He’s got an all-time great fighter waiting for him, but if he can get the job done, we’ll have to reassess the entire spectrum of Rodriguez’s career. Lookboonmee (8-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is a noted Thai striker, and had never finished a fight in the UFC. He’s dealt with injuries, spats with the UFC brass and more as he’s tried to navigate his way to the top.