UFC 284 arrives in Perth, Australia this Saturday (more accurately Sunday local time), marking the return of the octagon to the country for the first time since 2019.
With Australia shut down through most of the coronavirus pandemic, fans have had a lengthy wait to cheer for their hometown fighters — but Australian featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski is giving them something to get excited over, as he moves up in weight to challenge for a second belt against lightweight king Islam Makhachev.
The pair sit at #1 and #2 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings, making this something of a super-fight. While there are arguments to be made against that — Makhachev has yet to defend his 155lb title, Volkanovski faced the same fighter (Max Holloway) three times in recent years — you can’t argue against the UFC pulling the trigger while the fight is hot. After all, far too many such opportunities have fallen through over the years.
Complimenting the champ vs. champ title fight atop the UFC 284 card is an interim featherweight title fight. Essentially necessitated by Volkanovski’s extracurricular activities in Perth, that co-main event sees longtime 145lb contender Josh Emmett paired up with Mexico’s Yair Rodriguez.
Ahead of the event, which has been panned for its lack of promotion from the UFC (who have been juggling it, the usual flood of Apex Fight Night cards, the return of Jon Jones at UFC 285, and Dana White’s Power Slap), the promotion is holding a pre-fight press conference in Perth.
Tune in above starting at 3AM ET to catch all the key players on this weekend’s UFC 284 card.
