UFC 284 was one of the most promising fight cards in recent memory. Not only was the Pound-for-Pound number 1 guy and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski going up against then Pound-for-Pound number 2 Islam Makhachev, but a featherweight Interim title was also on the line between Josh Emmett and Yair Rodriguez.
To sum up, how the fight went we can quote the reigning featherweight king himself, “He didn’t respect my wrestling, grappling. Maybe I didn’t respect his striking enough, either. He landed some shots. Fair play to both of us.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGjMu2zQqkM
Makhachev claimed multiple times before the fight that he would try to end the fight with his striking. And boy did he deliver on that promise! Delivering many solid punches against an opponent who is known as one of the best punchers in the sport. Unfortunately, one the same vain he wanted to check Volk’s grappling skills, the Aussie clearly put on a proper show there.
Alexander too seemed kinda desperate to prove his own ground game and takedown defense could stand its ground against someone of Islam Makhachev’s caliber. And ‘The Great’ certainly impressed fans by stopping a lot of takedowns and not getting totally manhandled.
In the end, all three Judges scored the fight in Makhachev’s favor scoring (48-47, 48-47, and 49-46) which gave us a new Pound-for-Pound king.
What are our afterthoughts following UFC 284?
On the co-main event, we got a new Featherweight Interim Title Champion as Yair Rodriguez defeated his opponent the durable Josh Emmett via a Triangle Choke. So a fight between Yair and Volk seems imminent, though both fighters will likely take some time to recover and will announce their match sometime in the future.
The new P4P king, on the other hand, will likely defend his belt against upcoming lightweights like Arman Tsarukyan, Rafael Fiziev, Beneil Dariush, etc. The AKA prospect has also teased a move to Welterweight, but the second rematch between Kamaru ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Usman and Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards.
Who do you want to see the champions fight next?
