Islam Makhachev defended his lightweight gold against Alexander Volkanovski as he picked up a unanimous decision victory in his first title defense at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. However, UFC fans were left disappointed after the result. Many UFC fans felt Alexander Volkanovski won the fight and took to social media to express their frustrations.
Needless to say, fans expected a dominant performance from Islam Makhachev, however, as it turned out, Alexander Volkanovski was able to withstand Makhachev’s pressure and his grappling prowess, managing to effectively counter Makhachev’s game plan. A lackluster outing from Islam Makhachev meant UFC fans were quick to trash the Dagestani fighter, with some even claiming Conor McGregor “absolutely destroys” Islam Makhachev.
I’ve seen enough. Conor McGregor absolutely destroys Islam Makhachev pic.twitter.com/oRcqrYvrP4
— Sobervated Max 🥃 (Fan of Max Holloway) (@SobervatedConor) February 12, 2023
A case can be made that Alexander Volkanovski lacks the knockout power of a UFC lightweight, and considering how effectively he was able to land clean shots on Islam Makhachev, Conor McGregor‘s power could prove to be a huge trouble for the Dagestani fighter. However, without the effective grappling that Volkanovski displayed, it’s hard to think Conor McGregor poses any danger to Islam Makhachev.
Did Islam Makhachev win against Alexander Volkanovski?
Islam Makhachev did not look as dominant as we have seen him probably in his entire UFC career. However, a lack of dominance against a formidable opponent doesn’t mean he lost the fight.
A closer look at the judges’ scorecards reveals Makhachev won the first, second, and third rounds in the eyes of two judges, and took away the first four rounds in the eyes of the third. He lost the last and final round decisively in all the judges’ scorecards.
While one can argue it could have been a split-decision victory for Makhachev, it’s hard to believe Alexander Volkanovski did enough to win the fight. With the victory, Islam Makhachev will likely move to the #1 spot in the P4P rankings. And with that, he has successfully defended his lightweight gold after capturing the 155-pound title by submitting Charles Oliveira.