Reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will rematch former 155-pound titleholder Charles Oliveira atop the upcoming UFC 294 pay-per-view (PPV) event, locked and loaded for Sat., Oct. 21, 2023 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Before that five-round title fight gets underway, middleweight phenom Khamzat Chimaev will make his long-awaited return against former 185-pound title challenger Paulo Costa.
Now they have an official poster.
originally planned to skip UFC 294; however, it appears the promotion was able to convince him to come back quicker. Whether that meant more money or the threat of no title shot is unknown.
“Borz” blew up the scale. It appears Chimaev will return to middleweight for the foreseeable future and could put himself in title contention with a strong showing against Costa.
The 14-2 Brazilian has also spent all of 2023 on the sidelines, having last seen action at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City. “The Eraser” took home a unanimous decision victory over former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and was expected to make his return against Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 back in July. Instead, Aliskerov will join the UFC 294 lineup opposite No. 11-ranked Nassourdine Imavov.
Check out the full UFC 294 poster below:
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For the current UFC 294 fight card and PPV lineup click here.
