Organisation president Dana White has revealed this weekend’s hotly anticipated UFC 284 is on track to shatter the all-time pay-per-view (PPV) record in Australia and New Zealand initially set by perennial drawcard Conor McGregor.
“It’s a monster fight and just the gate alone out there is gonna be a [Madison Square Garden]-type gate,” Dana White noted at the UFC Vegas 68 post-fight press conference.
“And the pre-buys for pay-per-view are… if I had my phone I’d walk you through every one of the things. It’s beating all the fights of its type and it’s probably going to beat the record for pay-per-view in Australia and New Zealand.”
“The UFC, our record, which was Conor and somebody. But it looks like it’s going to break that record. It’s a monster fight.”
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Despite this, defending lightweight champion and #2 pound-for-pound fighter, Islam Makhachev, has recently been expressing dissatisfaction with the UFC’s lack of promotion for what many have already crowned the biggest MMA event of 2023.
“I see that it is not such a big promotion,” Islam Makhachev told R-Sport Russia.
“Dana White himself has some problems. He does not pay much attention to this fight. In terms of pay-per-view, yes, more could have been done [for UFC 284]. I only saw Volkanovski once in Sydney. A tour could be organised around the world, a conference could be held in America.”
As referenced by Makhachev himself, the Dagestani combat sports talent and Australia’s homegrown title challenger in Alexander Volkanovski stared one another down during a brief media-related pit stop hosted in George St, Sydney last month. There, they made their predictions about the coming hostilities.
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“He’s got a pretty big head. An easy target,” quipped Alexander Volkanovski, reigning featherweight champion, who puts his #1 pound-for-pound king status on the line for the chance to join the rarefied class of UFC two-division titleholders.
Considering how Volkanovski has managed to make elite strikers like Max Holloway and the recently retired Jose Aldo look positively ordinary, we like those odds. But the Wollongong native will have to overcome more than just a 10-centimetre height difference.
As per the modus operandi of his Dagestani team – most prominently showcased by his compatriot/close friend/mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov – and his go-style of combat informed by a very strong wrestling and sambo background, Islam Makhachev promised another signature submission win.
Meaning Volk’s success hinges entirely upon how he responds to the world-beating grappling of Makhachev’s calibre, which not even a decorated submission assassin like former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira could contend with.
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“[Volkanovski] tried to bring some wrestling to his team to make his wrestling good but you have to wrestle all your life,” said Islam Makhachev.
“This is not boxing or kickboxing. This is different. With wrestling, you have to do it your whole life.”
Since then, however, Makhachev has expressed a desire to prove himself with a knockout finish a la Ronda Rousey vs Holly Holm, placing him squarely in Volkanovski’s arena (stand up) as opposed to his own (the ground). It’s also worth noting Makhachev’s solitary professional loss has come by way of TKO.
UFC 284: Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski goes down this Sunday at the RAC Arena, Perth (Main Card Local Time – February 12h of 2023, 2 PM [AEDT]) – the promotion’s first pay-per-view event to take place on our sunburnt shores since 2019 and its 16th trip to Australia overall.
