Islam Makhachev-Charles Oliveira 2, Khamzat Chimaev return set for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi

UFC president Dana White announces first three bouts for October 21 event at Etihad Arena

Islam Makhachev faced Charles Oliveira in a lightweight title fight at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi last year. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira will headline the UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi in October, with Khamzat Chimaev also confirmed on Thursday for the much-anticipated card.

In a video on social media, UFC president Dana White announced three bouts for UFC 294 at Etihad Arena on October 21, with Makhachev’s lightweight title defence against former champion Oliveira at the top of the bill.

Chimaev, one of the promotion’s marquee names, will take on Paulo Costa at middleweight, marking his return to the octagon for the first time in more than a year, while Nassourdine Imavov faces Ikram Aliskerov in another 185lb clash.

Makhachev’s defence against Oliveira mirrors the headline fight at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi last October, when the Dagestan native defeated his Brazilian opponent by second-round submission to capture the lightweight belt for the first time. It represented Oliveira’s first defeat in 12 fights.

Makhachev, currently 24-1 as a professional, then successfully defended his belt against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in Perth in February, lifting his win streak to 12.

Oliveira, meanwhile, bounced back last month from his loss to Makhachev, earning an emphatic first-round victory against Beneil Dariush at UFC 289. The former belt-holder’s record now reads 34-9, with 1 no contest.

In Chimaev-Costa, the UFC confirmed a match-up long in the making. Chimaev, who debuted in the promotion at the inaugural Fight Island in Abu Dhabi in July 2020, is unbeaten in all 12 pro bouts, but has been sidelined since his first-round victory against Kevin Holland last September.

The Chechen-born Swede is 6-0 in the UFC, with three of those wins taking place the Emirates.

Costa, 14-2, last competed in the promotion last August, when he saw off Luke Rockhold in a thrilling encounter at UFC 278. The Brazilian, who was supposed to go up against Aliskerov at next week’s UFC 291, also fought in Abu Dhabi during the pandemic. However, he lost to champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 in September 2020.

In Thursday's video, White said: “I’m here to announce that the card everyone has been waiting for, we got it done. Abu Dhabi, UFC 294 on Saturday October 21, the main event: Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight title in the rematch against Charles Oliveira.

"Makhachev has won 12 in a row and the former champ Charles Oliveira has won 12 of his last 13, including finishes over Justin Gaejthe, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler – and his one loss in those 13 fights is to Islam.

"After that loss he bounced back with a first-round TKO of Beneil Dariush, extending his UFC record for most finishes to 20.

“Also on the card, the guy everyone’s been waiting to hear about: Khamzat Chimaev returns, and he will be facing Paulo Costa. Chimaev is 12-0 – 11 finishes – and he’s coming off a dominant first-round submission of Kevin Holland.

“Costa has an 86 per cent finish rate, and let me just say this: he and Chimaev do not like each other. This should be one hell of a fight.”

In the card’s other announced bout, Imavov (12-4, 1 no contest) will look to put a difficult 2023 thus far behind him. In January, the Frenchman lost to Sean Strickland before fighting a no-contest last month against Chris Curtis because of an accidental clash of heads.

In Aliskerov, he enters the Etihad Arena octagon against a promising Russian with only one defeat in 15 pro bouts. Debuting in the UFC only in May, Aliskerov delivered on his billing by registering a first-round knockout of Phil Hawes.

Tickets for UFC 294 go on sale on Thursday.