SHOCKING! Charles Oliveira pulls out from UFC 294 against Islam Makhachev; Alexander Volkanovski steps in

Islam Makhachev will no longer face Charles Oliveira at UFC 294! Alexander Volkanovski will be the man to headline the Abu Dhabi card along with the Dagestani.

SHOCKING! Charles Oliveira pulls out from UFC 294 against Islam Makhachev; Alexander Volkanovski steps in

Alexander Volkanovski replaces Charles Oliveira against Islam Makhachev (Image via IMAGO)

A huge change for the much-anticipated UFC 294 card as superstar Charles Oliveira pulls out from the contest against Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski steps in! The news broke out first, just minutes before, by The OverDogs podcast.

UFC 294: Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveira 2 was undoubtedly one of the much-anticipated rematches of this year. Oliveira seemingly has pulled out after suffering an injury in round five of sparring in his training camp. Islam Makhachev was left without an opponent only for a brief period before the badass Alexander Volkanovski agreed to step up.

YouTube video

Just minutes after the podcast broke this news, multiple renowned journalists came out tweeting this shocker. Dana White, the CEO of the promotion also addressed the press shortly after the devastating news and confirmed. The CEO explained Charles Oliveira’s injury and praised Volk from the land down under for stepping up.

FS Video

UFC 294 takes place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. There never seems to be a dull day in the world of mixed martial arts, especially the UFC. White, however, was not a fan of this news coming out first from another source. The UFC CEO wanted to break this news himself, according to his press conference, and was not very happy about how things played out.

Related: “This changes everything” – Fans fear for Charles Oliveira as Khabib Nurmagomedov joins as head coach for Islam Makhachev’s fight at UFC 294

High risk, high reward for Alexander Volkanovski for replacing Charles Oliveira

If Alexander Volkanovski did not already have the respect of the entire MMA fraternity, this act surely deserves it. The Australian featherweight is the embodiment of ‘BMF’. First, the fighter moved up a weight class and ALMOST defeated Makhachev at UFC 284. And now, to make things right, the man from the land down under has decided to take the very first chance presented in front of him.

Islam Makhachev Alexander Volkanovski
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski 1 (Image via MMA Fighting)

Volkanovski was very close to booking a fight against Ilia Topuria for a featherweight title fight, in early 2024. However, when the phone rang with an offer from the UFC to fight Islam Makhachev, the Australian gave an immediate ‘YES’. Safe to say the internet going abuzz after this news broke out. ‘The Great’ has merely a week to train for the biggest rematch fight of his career.

Charles Oliveira was also in a similar position in terms of getting his lick back against Islam Makhachev. Makhachev now will face Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 294. Stay tuned! There might be some news breaking out about Paulo Costa vs Khamzat Chimaev as well.

Incase you missed it: