UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has been named as the official back-up fighter for the lightweight title bout between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhahchev on October 22.
The promotion were left stumped in May when Oliveira, the champion of the division, weighed in half-a-pound overweight for his second title defence against Justin Gaethje. They ultimately allowed the fight to go ahead with only the challenger allowed to win the belt, and the title was vacated when the Brazilian dispatched of him within a round.
Now, they have set themselves up for a huge rescheduled bout as Volkanovski, currently the featherweight title holder with four title defences and no losses under the UFC banner, will step in should anyone miss weight or pull out. Both Oliveira and Makhachev are in Abu Dhabi to acclimatise for the event, but there is always the possibility something can go wrong.
Historically, showing up as the backup fighter has led to the likes of Kamaru Usman getting a shot at the belt in future, so the UFC could also be setting up for Volkanovski to permanently move up to lightweight. He tweeted the news and told fans: “It’s Official, I’m the back up fighter for the Light Weight title! See you all in Abu Dhabi.”
Strangely, this would likely rule out the perceived back-up fighter Beneil Dariush, who is on the undercard facing Mateusz Gamrot. It had been common theory, although never made official, that Dariush would step in if there were any issues, particularly after Makhachev's teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov tweeted he believes his pal will face Dariush, not Oliveira.
"I just think Charles Oliveira will not show up in Abu Dhabi and the UFC will replace Charles with Beneil Dariush," Nurmagomedov tweeted last month. "Regardless of who the opponent will be, Islam Makhachev is on his way to becoming the best in the world."
Would you prefer to see Volkanovski fight than one of Oliveira or Makhachev? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Makhachev has raised concerns, as well about whether or not Oliveira will show up for their meeting after the Brazilian left his camp later than planned. He shared a news article about the the champion claiming he would arrive 20 days early for the fight, with the caption "two weeks before the fight, Charles and his team not in Abu Dhabi yet., should I start worry?"
However, the fight appears to be fully on the table as both men have arrived on Yas Island in preparation for the exciting bout. The star-studded event will also feature a bantamweight title fight between Aljimain Sterling and former champion TJ Dillashaw, who is back after having his title stripped following a positive test for performance enhancing drugs.
Also on the undercard is a striking masterclass between Sean O'Malley and former bantamweight champion Petr Yan, with welterweight contenders Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady in action as well. The event is the UFC's second in the region with fans after their pandemic-era 'Fight Island' events.
