The UFC is in Abu Dhabi on Saturday for a UFC 294 fight card headlined by a lightweight title fight rematch between 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev and 145-pound champion Alexander Volkanovski. After winning the first fight via unanimous decision, Makhachev is the favorite here at . Volkanovski, who took this fight on less than two weeks’ notice, is the underdog at .
In the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev is a favorite over former 170-pound champion Kamaru Usman, who is a underdog in his first UFC fight at 185 pounds.
Full UFC 294 odds, along with main event analysis and prop bet odds, are below.
UFC 294 odds for every fight
| Islam Makhachev | Alexander Volkanovski |
| Khamzat Chimaev | Kamaru Usman |
| Magomed Ankalaev | Johnny Walker |
| Ikram Aliskerov | Warlley Alves |
| Muin Gafurov | Said Nurmagomedov |
| Tim Elliott | Muhammad Mokaev |
| Trevor Peek | Mohammad Yahya |
| Javid Basharat | Victor Henry |
| Abu Azaitar | Sedriques Dumas |
| Mike Breeden | Anshul Jubli |
| Muhammad Naimov | Nathaniel Wood |
| Viktoriia Dudakova | Jinh Yu Frey |
| Shara Magomedov | Bruno Silva |
UFC 294 main event odds — Makhachev vs. Volkanovski II
Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Makhachev (24-1) won the first meeting between these two back in February, though the fight was closer than he would have liked in the later rounds. He enjoys a considerable size advantage over Volkanovski, and that translated into an edge in punching power at several key moments in the fight. Still, Volkanovski’s high pace and aggressive grappling gave Makhachev some problems as the champ started to slow late in the fight.
Volkanovski (26-2) is taking this on extremely short notice after agreeing to step in just last week after original opponent Charles Oliveira suffered a cut in training. It’s a rematch the featherweight champion wanted, but perhaps not under the circumstances he would have preferred. Going up a weight class to fight an opponent like Makhachev is always tough. It’s even tougher when you don’t have anything close to a full training camp to help you prepare for what could be a grueling five-round battle.
That aspect of this matchup could force Volkanovski to be more aggressive early on. If he knows that he doesn’t have the preparation or the cardio to go the full 25 minutes, he’ll have to attack Makhachev early in hopes of a finish. That said, Makhachev is extremely dangerous early on, while Volkanovski is typically at his best when he can chip away at bigger fighters a little at a time.
UFC 294 main event method of victory props
UFC 294 main event round props
UFC 294 co-main event — Chimaev vs. Usman
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman
Chimaev (12-0) was also set to face a different opponent before an injury forced a late change. Now, instead of facing a true middleweight in Paulo Costa, he takes on a former welterweight champ who’s making his 185-pound debut. That should play to Chimaev’s advantage, since he’s been a dominant force so far in the UFC against mostly smaller opponents. The big question is whether he’ll stick to grappling in this fight or once again give in to his urge to brawl, as he did in his win over former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns.
Usman (20-3) is taking a big risk in accepting this fight. Wrestling has always been his strength, but against Chimaev he faces an opponent who also has that skill along with a significant size advantage. Add in the late-notice aspect of this fight, and it could be an uphill climb for the former champ. Just to add one more variable, there were concerns that Usman may have tweaked his knee at this week’s open workouts. Though he denied it, his odds to win dropped in the 24 hours after the rumor circulated online, making Chimaev even more of a betting favorite here.
UFC 294 co-main event method of victory props
UFC 294 co-main event round props
How to watch UFC 294
- Prelims — 10 a.m. ET, ESPN+
- Main card — 2 p.m. ET, ESPN+ pay-per-view
