UFC 284 Takeaways Featuring Volkanovski, Australian MMA’s Top Prospect

UFC 284 was another feather in the cap for the global mixed martial arts (MMA) powerhouse and below are three takeaways from a great event from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on Sunday, February 12.

Alexander Volkanovski Proves Status As UFC’s No. 1 Pound-For-Pound Fighter

The UFC featherweight champion and Australia’s very own Alexander Volkanovski entered his title challenge against lightweight king Islam Makhachev as the plus-290 underdog according to BetMGM and while he ultimately failed to win the belt, he pushed Makhachev to his absolute limit.

Makhachev dominated the first round while stunning “The Great” during a wild exchange and eventually secured the back mount against the cage with multiple attempts at locking in a rear-naked choke.

With the striking battle being an even fight, it would come down to dominant ground positioning and who can make the most of their time on the ground as evidenced by Volkanovski’s attempts to take down Makhachev in the third.

His world-class striking carried him greatly throughout the championship rounds, but the fourth round saw Makhachev display his wrestling while the Australian attempted to reverse his fate and would find success in the biggest moment of the fight.

The final two minutes would go on to cement just how strong of a competitor Volkanovski truly is as he almost took down Makhachev and sent him to the mat care of a left hand, but the Dagestani survived the onslaught to reach the final bell.

When it was all said and done, Volkanovski’s efforts would just come up short as the judges had Makhachev retaining by unanimous decision with scorecards of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

“He didn’t respect my wrestling, grappling. Maybe I didn’t respect his striking enough, either. He landed some shots. Fair play to both of us,” Volkanovski said in the post-fight presser–an extremely apt observation of one of the best title fights MMA fans had seen.

Makhachev’s winning streak extends to 12, while Volkanovski is on the losing end for the first time in 22 fights–his last loss being a decade ago.

Yair Rodriguez Claims Gold

The mere thought of having gold around one’s waist is enough to propel them to do everything in their power to claim it, and Yair Rodriguez did just that in the co-main event of UFC 284 against fellow promotion veteran Josh Emmett for the interim UFC featherweight title.

The pair was initially hesitant to engage due to them being prominent strikers, but someone had to eventually break the ice and it was Emmett who opted to go on the chase.

Round one was definitely in favor of Rodriguez after turning Emmett’s aggression into a weakness by landing multiple kicks to the body and a pretty combo that had Emmett rethinking his strategy.

However, the Phoenix, Arizona native was able to land a hard shot on Rodriguez and immediately goes for top position over the stunned Mexican to possibly end the fight. By that same merit though, Rodriguez was able to gather himself quickly and land some big elbow shots from the bottom as the round ends.

Emmett’s game plan of trying to go after Rodriguez at all costs would continue to bite him throughout the second frame and with his gas tank starting to betray him, the end would come soon.

“El Pantera” would land a flying knee on Emmett, but his momentum allowed the latter to secure a takedown.

But as previously mentioned, his nonstop pursuit of Rodriguez would turn into a negative as his attempts of trying to get some breathing room would backfire.

Rodriguez continued to land heavy elbows from the bottom and Emmett’s decision to posture up allowed the former to lock in a triangle choke, thereby forcing the tap.

The win would allow Rodriguez to have his first taste of gold and it now puts him in a position to challenge Alexander Volkanovski, whom many see as the greatest featherweight in UFC history, for the undisputed title.

Jack Della Maddalena Lives Up To Hype

Jack Della Maddalena is a name that MMA fans will have to take note of moving forward following UFC 284 as it appears that the hype is very much justified for the kid from Perth, Australia.

Della Maddalena, 26, had made light work of his past three opponents after racking up three TKO victories, all in the first round, and was expected to have a difficult time with a tough-nosed fighter like Randy Brown (16-5, six KOs, five submissions).

However, it was Brown who bore witness that Della Maddalena’s hype was very much real.

While both men continued to measure one another’s strengths, Dela Maddalena pushed forth with his striking and had Brown’s back against the cage when he fired a nuke of a lead right hook to drop Brown face-first onto the mat.

A couple of ground-and-pound strikes later opened up Brown’s back to Dela Maddalena and the rear-naked choke was sunk in with the tap coming soon after–everything happening in just barely past two minutes in the very first round.

The win would boost the Perth, Australia native’s record to 4-0 and claimed his third performance of the night bonus while launching his star to new heights.

Honorable Mentions:

• Justin Tafa’s first-round walk-off knockout against Parker Porter.
• Rising talents Joshua Culibao and Loma Lookboonmee both claim second-round submission victories.