Final · 11 Feb 2023

Islam Makhachev defeats Alexander Volkanovski by Decision - Unanimous

Win Islam Makhachev 25-1-0

UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski

11 Feb 2023 · RAC Arena, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, AU

Decision - Unanimous

Round 5 · 5:00

View fight recap
Loss The Great Alexander Volkanovski 25-3-0

Makhachev vs Volkanovski — Lightweight Title · UFC 284

What happened

The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.

Makhachev showed his striking through the first three rounds while using takedowns and control to support his case.

Volkanovski had success of his own and defended Makhachev's takedown attempts.

Volkanovski rallied in the final frame, but Makhachev received the unanimous decision.

Watch

The full fight.

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More videos · 4 clips
Signature moments
Signature moments

Analysts

No verified pre-fight analyst picks are logged for this historical bout.

Track record rows appear only when a timestamped source has been reviewed.

Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
Makhachev vs Volkanovski
Makhachev Volkanovski
  1. OutputSig. strikes landed / min 2.63 6.14
  2. Striking def.Striking defense 61% 58%
  3. DurabilitySig. strikes absorbed / min 1.55 3.44
  4. Takedown def.Takedown defense 91% 69%
  5. FinishingFinish rate 67% 57%
24-1-0
Record
25-2-0
8-0 last 8
Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
3-2 last 5
34
Age
37
1.78 m
Height — Makhachev leads
1.68 m
179 cm
Reach — Volkanovski leads
181 cm
Southpaw
StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
Orthodox
67%
Finish rateFinish % — Makhachev leadsFinish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
57%
5
Wins by KO/TKOKO/TKO wins — Volkanovski leads
13
13
Wins by submissionSub wins — Makhachev leads
3
2.63
Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / min — Volkanovski leadsSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
6.14
1.55
Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / min — Makhachev leadsSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
3.44
61%
Striking defenseStrike def. — Makhachev leadsStriking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
58%
91%
Takedown defenseTD def. — Makhachev leadsTakedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
69%
—
Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
17:12
Lightweight
Weight classWeight
Featherweight (moving up)
Russia
Nationality
Australia
American Kickboxing Academy · San Jose
Team
City Kickboxing · Freestyle Fighting Gym

Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.

Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in

Case for Makhachev

Makhachev's advantage was the ability to blend southpaw striking into takedown attempts and force Volkanovski to solve both the open-space exchanges and the fence scrambles.

Case for Volkanovski

Volkanovski's path was movement, feints and layered counters: make Makhachev reach, deny the first control sequence and turn the champion's failed entries into high-volume striking rounds.

What We Were Watching For

  • Whether Makhachev could secure control without giving up clean counters.
  • How Volkanovski's footwork changed the champion's shot selection.
  • Which fighter owned the late championship-round scrambles.

Fighters

Islam Makhachev
24-1-0 · Lightweight
View profile →
Alexander Volkanovski
25-2-0 · Featherweight · The Great
View profile →

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Independent fan-made fight recap. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the UFC or any other MMA promotion. Analysis is editorial opinion, not betting advice. Fighter names and records are used for commentary. Image credits · Privacy · Terms.