UFC 284: Islam Makhachev defends lightweight title with decision win over Alexander Volkanovski

Islam Makhachev didn’t roll through Alexander Volkanovski in their lightweight title fight in the main event of UFC 284 in Perth Australia, like the odds favoring him by roughly 4-1 suggested he may.

When you’re the pound-for-pound best in the world, you find ways to win. And that’s what Makhachev did in front of a massive pro-Volkanovski crowd Saturday.

Makhachev did a little bit of everything — he grappled, he struck and he survived a late Volkanovski onslaught — to claim a unanimous decision victory to retain his lightweight title and leapfrog Volkanovski and claim the mythical pound-for-pound title.

Judges had it 48-47 twice and 49-46 for the Russian, who in his two title fights has beaten the No. 3-ranked Charles Oliveira and then the No. 1-ranked Volkanovski. Yahoo Sports scored it 48-47 for Makhachev.

It was a remarkable fight made all the better by a passionate, boisterous crowd rooting its heart out for Volkanovski, who moved up from featherweight to try to become only the fifth fighter to hold two UFC world titles simultaneously.

“I showed why I am No. 1,” Makhachev said as the crowd booed lustily. “He has good striking, good wrestling skills … but like it or not, I am the best fighter in the world.”

He might be 1 to Volkanovski’s 1A, and it was a fight befitting that kind of stature. Each man had his moment, but the drama went right to the final bell. With slightly more than a minute left and down on the scorecards, Volkanovski landed a powerful right that dropped Makhachev.

Volkanovski went down and tried for the ground-and-pound finish, and he landed several hard shots only seconds before the bell. The crowd was at a fever pitch urging him on, but Makhachev defended well enough to survive.

Volkanovski survived Makhachev’s grappling and wrestling surprisingly well. Makhachev landed four takedowns on nine attempts, according to UFC Stats, but he was never able to do much with it and Volkanovski defended well.

Still, those takedowns led to control time and took away opportunities for Volkanovski to strike with him.

Volkanovski was in the fight the whole way, but couldn’t get that extra blow he needed to pull it out.

“A lot of people didn’t give me a chance, but I gave myself a chance,” Volkanovski said. “I expected to win.”

He might have beaten any other lightweight he faced on this night but there was one man he couldn’t take, as much as he tried: Islam Makhachev, who now, surely, is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.