UFC 284 LIVE results, updates: Makhachev retains lightweight title; Rodriguez beats Emmett to clinch featherweight belt

Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the Ultimate Fighting Championship 284. This was Nigamanth P, who brought you all the updates.

ISLAM MAKHACHEV RETAINS THE UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE!! HE BEATS HOME FAVOURITE VOLKANOVSKI WITH 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 in favour of him.

Round 5: Four rounds into the fight and this still could belong to anyone. Such has been the intensity. Makhachev is going for a similar move from the last round, attempting a body hold but Volk realises it quicky and evades it. Volk is pinned to a corner but he trips Makhachev’s legs as the Russian loses balance. Volk after evading a shot, lands a powerful jab to Makhachev’s jaw. Makhachev tries a leg hold but Volk capitalises, landing continous shots to his opponent’s face. Round 5 ends with that

Round 4: Makhachev tries for a takedown as he grabs Volkanovski’s legs and carries the momentum further and attempts a rear naked choke. Volk is struggling to break the lock with weak punches to Makhachev’s head but that doesn’t seem to do anything. Four out of the three minutes in this round has gone Makhachev’s way as he continues to choke Volk. Volk finaly manages to land three strong punches on the face.

Round 3: In a tightly fought contest, Makhachev is leading with higher body blows than his opponent and that could decide the title. Makhachev goes high that gets blocked. Volk lands a right hand when Makhachev comes in. But patience is still the name of the game. Incredibly close round. Round 3 ends and it looks like we will witness a 4th.

Round 2: Makhachev tries to hold Volkanovski’s body but the Australian anticipates it and counters. Volkanovski comes in with a kick to his opponent’s leg but that proves detrimental as Makhachev lands a well timed jab that makes Volkanovski lose balance. Round 2 ends.

Round 1: One minute into the game and both fighters are yet to land a shot on each other, taking every step cautiously with title in the offing. Volkanovski does a brilliant duck to evade Makhachev’s left arm jab. Makhachev now has Volkanovski pinned to a corner with a body hold but the Australian counters and puts in a take down. Makhachev is in prime position, locking Volkanovski’s neck. With that, we come to the end of round 1.

Up next is the blockbuster main event, Islam Makhachev takes on Alexander Volkanovski in the lightweight title bout!

Result: Yair Rodriguez beat Josh Emmett via sub (triangle) - Round 2, 4:19

Round 2: Emmet catches Rodriguez off guard with a leg hold and pushes him towards the edge. Rodriguez though, regains stability and comes with a chin punch. Another successful kick to the rib from Rodriguez, Emmett’s defense has been on and off. Emmettpushes Rodriguez down and puts in a body hold but Rodriguez counters with a hold from his side as Emmett taps out! AND YAIR RODRIGUEZ IS THE NEW FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION!!!

Round 1: After passing the initial seconds with caution, Rodriguez lands a couple of kicks on Emmett’s right leg. Rodriguez tries another kick but Emmett puts in a timely block. Emmett on the offensive, goes in aggressively with three right arm jabs and finally pins Rodriguez down. Rodriguez uses his defense to perfection, fending off repeated punches from Emmett and dishes out a couple of elbow blows of his own. Round 1 ends

Round 1: WOAH! Yet another lightning fast fight as Della Maddalena dominates Brown. All it took was two jabs to the chin and one to the nose followed by a chokehold. Della Maddalena finishes Brown in the first round!

Ahead of the welterweight bout against Jack Della Maddalena, Randy Brown says fighting against all odds motivates him. Catch the full interview by our correspondent Mayank here

Round 1: Now this is bizzarre! Tafa knocks out Porter within two minutes as he lands two powerful jabs to the American’s face. That was quick!

Jimmy Crute and Alonzo Menifield fight ends in a majority draw - 29-27, 28-28, 28-28

Round 3: Crute pins Menifold towards the cage and the match official calls for a timeout. Crute is all over Menifold this round, holds him down in the middle, inflicting damage constantly to his robs and head. Round 3 ends

Round 2: Although he managed to pick Menifield occasionally, Crute is absolutely getting dominated here and ends up with a bloody nose. Finally some aggression from Crute as he slams Menifold down with a body hold. Crute on top of Menifold now, lands consecutive punches and tries a choke but the round comes to an end. Crute surged at the right time and looks like the spoils are shared this round.

Round 1: Menifield starts off with a low kick. The fighters exchange a couple of jabs and Crute finally takes initiative as he puts in a body hold and pins Menifold to a corner. After considerable struggle, Menifold breaks the lock. Menifold lands a powerful right hand jab on Crute’s face. Menifold is doing the most damage, hitting consecutive punches on Crute’s jaw. With that the first round concludes

Menifield is nine years older and has a 2-inch reach advantage. He is 2 inches shorter though, and Crute is the betting favorite at -175, with the comeback on Menifield at +150. 

Prelims results

• ⦿Joshua Culibao def. Melsik Baghdasaryan via sub (RNC) (R2, 2:02)
• ⦿Kleydson Rodrigues def. Shannon Ross via first-round TKO (0:59)
• ⦿Jamie Mullarkey def. Francisco Prado via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
• ⦿Jack Jenkins def. Don Shainis via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
• ⦿Loma Lookboonmee def. Elise Reed via submission (Rear Naked Choke) (R2, 0:44)
• ⦿Blake Bilder def. Shane Young via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
• ⦿Elves Brenner def. Zubaira Tukhugov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski - PREVIEW

The taunts from UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev about a supposed lack of size aren’t likely to unsettle Alexander Volkanovski.

He’s worked as a concreter, he’s played the rugged game of rugby league and he grew up in the working-class city of Wollongong, south of Sydney. He can defend himself.

“That’s been happening forever ... even on the footy field,” Volkanovski said of the taunts coming from his 31-year-old Russian rival. But, “No one’s ever just overpowered me.”

At 5-feet 6-inches, (1.68 meters) featherweight titleholder Volkanovski will give up four inches in height and 15 pounds in weight to Makhachev (23 wins, 1 loss) when he moves up a division for the lightweight title fight, the main event of UFC 284 on Sunday in Perth, capital of Western Australia state.

With the status of best pound-for-pound fighter on the line, Volkanovski (25 wins, 1 loss) will have a sold-out 13,000 crowd right behind him at an expected febrile RAC Arena. But even with that, Volkanovski is the underdog against the formidable wrestling and grappling prowess of Makhachev.

“He doesn’t take unnecessary risks. He doesn’t overcommit,” Volkanovski said of Makhachev, who has 11 submission victories in his 23 career wins.

“He will fight on the back foot and wait for the right time to shoot. His distance game isn’t too bad. He’s calculated, brilliant at the basics. He’s a great fighter.”

The straight-shooting Makhachev insists that his superior size will lead to a one-sided bout and defense of his lightweight belt.

“It’s another division. I’m going to beat him,” he said. “I want to knock him out. I know I’m the best MMA fighter because I have all the skills - striking, wrestling, grappling.”

But the 34-year-old Volkanovski, whose power and striking has fueled his rise in mixed martial arts, scoffed at his opponent’s confident prediction.

“Knockout? That’s an unnecessary risk. He won’t be doing that,” said Volkanovski, who has gorged on extra calories in a bid to gain weight.

“If he thinks I’m just going to be a weak little featherweight, then he’s in for a rude shock.”

MMA in Australia is starting to emerge from a niche base, its growing popularity obvious by the hundreds of fans who turned out for public workouts from the fighters ahead of the first UFC event staged in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the other bouts on the card, Josh Emmett will be taking on Yair Rodriguez for the featherweight interim title belt and Parker Porter is against New Zealander Justin Tafa.

Volkanovski has become a very recognizable name in Australia, where he’s the embodiment of the underdog who doggedly climbs the ranks.

“I don’t think I was ever athletically gifted ... I’ve always been strong but that’s it,” he said. “Look where I’m at right now with the right mindset and work ethic. I’m showing people what can be done.”

In this cauldron, though, there’s little room for modest talk, even for Volkanovski, who is on a 22-fight winning streak and is known as ‘The Great’ — a nod to Alexander the Great.

“I’m chasing to be one of the greatest or the greatest. ‘Alexander the Great’ is good but we’re going for ‘Alexander the Greatest’,” he said. “People have counted me out but I’m going to shock the world on Sunday and I can’t wait to do it.”

- AP

Full Schedule:

• ⦿Lightweight: Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski
• ⦿Featherweight: Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett
• ⦿Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena vs Randy Brown
• ⦿Heavyweight: Justin Tafa vs Parker Porter
• ⦿Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute vs Alonzo Menifield

Preliminary Card

• ⦿Light Heavyweight: Tyson Pedro vs Modestas Bukauskas
• ⦿Featherweight:Joshua Culibao vs Melsik Baghdasaryan
• ⦿Catchweight:Shannon Ross vs Kleydson Rodrigues
• ⦿Lightweight: Jamie Mullarkeyvs Francisco Prado

Early Preliminary Card

• ⦿Featherweight: Jack Jenkins vs Don Shainis
• ⦿Women’s Strawweight: Loma Lookboonmee vs Elise Reed
• ⦿Featherweight: Shane Youngvs Blake Bilder
• ⦿Catchweight: Zubaira Tukhugovvs Elves Brenner

The main card begins at 8.30am IST and the prelims start at 4.30am.

STREAMING INFORMATION:

Watch the LIVE coverage of UFC 284 - Makhachev vs Volkanovski on Sony Sports Ten 2 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi), & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on 12th February 2023 from 8:30 am IST.