UFC 294: Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira Preview, Odds, Predictions, Picks

Charles Oliveira will have a chance to regain his lightweight title and even the score with Islam Makhachev at the UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on October 21. The two are set to feature in the main event of the night and hopefully provide a fight to remember. Islam is the No.3 in the pound-for-pound rankings and presents the most dominant champ in the UFC. On the other side is Oliveira, who is one of the UFC legends with multiple records in his possession, who will be hard to reach in the future. 

Here is also the preview of the match between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa.

Preview

Islam Makhavchev (24-1, -300) won the title against Oliveira via an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their meeting. Previously, the Russian managed to make a burst that broke Oliveira’s cardio and stance, significantly increasing the intensity inside the octagon and beating the Brazilian with his own weapon. 

One counter right was all that it took for Islam to crack Oliveira’s defense and send him to the ground, after which there was no return for the Brazilian. Islam was all over him, quickly forcing a submission.

After that bout, Makhachev had one more, against Alexander Volkanovski, whom he defeated via unanimous decision, but he couldn’t break the feisty Aussie, who even had a chance to hurt the rival in the final round. Unlike Oliveira, Islam didn’t have too many notable rivals and holds wins over Bobby Green, Dan Hooker, Thiago Moises, Drew Dober etc. 

Charles Oliveira (34-9-1, +285) recovered well following that defeat to Makhachev, beating Beneil Dariush via TKO in the first round. High right to Dariush’s head started everything, and after that, he didn’t rush but waited to place hits and finish the rival.

We’ve stated that Oliveira carries several UFC records, and here they are – most Performance of the Night Bonuses -13, most finishes in history -20, most submission wins -16, most submissions in UFC lightweight history 10, etc. On top of that, his CV looks incredible.

He defeated guys like Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Jeremy Stephens, and many more. Oliveira is one of the most technical submission artists in MMA history, and there aren’t too many guys who defeat rivals with such ease. 

Prediction

This one will be much closer than the previous bout. Back then, Oliveira had certain trouble outside the octagon, and he did seem a bit more reckless once attacking Islam. Though the Russians didn’t allow him to be better and impose his own tempo, that eventually decided the battle. As you can see, there wasn’t too much action on the mat, and both guys hunted one another in the standup, trying to find that one shot that would eventually make an opportunity for a finish. Makhachev had more success, and in our opinion, he will repeat that and defend the title. It seems that Islam carries more power in his hits and that, overall, he can match and upgrade any tempo Oliveira sets up. He might not be as skilled as the Brazilian, but his power is fantastic and will be a decisive edge in this event. 

Pick: Islam Makhachev -300