UFC 294 on Saturday marked the promotion’s annual trip to Abu Dhabi, and although the card at Etihad Arena on Yas Island started slow, it ended with a bang.
Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) put a bow on the evening when he emerged from his rematch with fellow champion Alexander Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) as the lightweight titleholder courtesy of a first-round head kick knockout.
For more on the numbers coming from the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 294.
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Event stats
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $237,000.
Makhachev, Ikram Aliskerov, Said Nurmagomedov and Muhammad Mokaev earned $50,000 UFC 294 fight-night bonuses.
Debuting fighters went 1-1 on the card.
The UFC did not announce an attendance or live gate figure for UFC 294.
Betting favorites went 9-2 on the card. Two fights ended in a no contest.
Betting favorites improved to 20-16-1 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 2:12:57.
Islam Makhachev def. Alexander Volkanovski
Makhachev’s 13-fight UFC winning streak is the longest active streak among fighters on the roster.
Makhachev’s 12-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Volkanovski has suffered two of his three career losses by knockout.
Volkanovski fell to 1-2 in UFC lightweight competition.
Khamzat Chimaev def. Kamaru Usman
Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) improved to 2-0 in UFC middleweight competition.
Chimaev has landed at least one takedown in six of his seven UFC appearances.
Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) has suffered three consecutive losses after going on a 19-fight winning streak.
Usman was unsuccessful in his middleweight debut.
Usman has suffered three of his four career losses by stoppage.
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker
Magomed Ankalaev’s (18-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) 11-fight UFC unbeaten streak at light heavyweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Ikram Aliskerov def. Warlley Alves
Aliskerov (15-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by knockout.
Warlley Alves’ (14-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2021.
Alves was unsuccessful in his return to the middleweight division. He’s 1-1 in the UFC when fighting in the weight class.
Alves has suffered three of his four career stoppage losses by knockout.
Said Nurmagomedov def. Muin Gafurov
Nurmagomedov (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has earned all five of his UFC bantamweight victories by stoppage.
Muin Gafurov (18-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with a submission defeat.
Muhammad Mokaev def. Tim Elliott
Mokaev’s (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak at flyweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Mokaev has earned eight of his 11 career victories by stoppage.
Mokaev’s four submission victories in UFC flyweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Demetrious Johnson (five).
Tim Elliott (19-14-1 MMA, 8-11 UFC) fell to 6-7 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in December 2016.
Elliott has suffered all five of his UFC stoppage losses by submission.
Elliott has landed 60 takedowns in UFC flyweight competition, the most in divisional history
Trevor Peek def. Mohammad Yahya
Trevor Peek (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Mohammad Yahya (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Sedriques Dumas def. Abu Azaitar
Sedriques Dumas (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
Abu Azaitar (14-4-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Mike Breeden def. Anshul Jubli
Mike Breeden (11-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC) snapped his three-fight losing skid for his first victory since May 2021.
Breeden has earned nine of his 11 career victories by stoppage.
Breeden has earned all nine of his career stoppage victories by knockout.
Anshul Jubli has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 7-0.
Muhammad Naimov def. Nathaniel Wood
Nathaniel Wood (20-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) fell to 3-1 since he moved up to the featherweight division in July 2022.
Viktoriia Dudakova def. Jinh Yu Frey
Jinh Yu Frey’s (11-10 MMA, 2-6 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since July 2021.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
