BJJ specialist Craig Jones revealed that Islam Makhachev footed the bill for Alexander Volkanovski’s lunch following their UFC 294 showdown in Abu Dhabi.
Originally scheduled to defend his lightweight title against Charles Oliveira, Islam Makhachev found himself once again matched up with Volkanovski eight months removed from their Fight of the Year contender in February. In that meeting, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ needed the full 25 minutes to earn a unanimous decision victory over the featherweight champ. This time, he only needed three.
ISLAM MAKHACHEV JUST KNOCKED OUT ALEX VOLKANOVSKI
#UFC294 pic.twitter.com/g4bsINLcKM
— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2023
Mere minutes into the opening round, Makhachev launched a perfectly timed head kick that caught Volkanovski on the top of his head, sending him crashing to the canvas. A few follow-up strikes later and it was all said and done.
Joining Volkanovski at UFC 294 was fellow Aussie and IBJJF world champion Craig Jones, who revealed that Makhachev picked up the tab for Volk and his crew at a coffee shop following their rematch.
“So Volk shows up, but the guy we were meeting with, he had tried to see Islam as well before Islam left so Islam showed up at the coffee shop as well,” Jones said on the El Segundo Podcast. “So we’re all there eating lunch and having this meeting and he’s like, ‘Someone’s out front, but you probably don’t want to see him.’ Says that to Volkanovski. We look out the window and Islam’s crew comes in and they sit at another table.
“Islam actually paid our check. That was super kind of the guy. We didn’t hear about that until after and then Volk and Islam got a photo together.”
With two losses against the lightweight titleholder, Alexander Volkanovski will likely return to his featherweight throne in preparation for a meeting with the division’s No. 5 ranked contender, Ilia Topuria.
Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev will look ahead to his next challenge at 155. Initially, it looked as though the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ would be paired up with current BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje for a fight in early 2024. However, UFC CEO Dana White seems to like the idea of rescheduling the bout between Makhachev and Oliveira for the beginning of the year, leaving Gaethje to hang out to dry.
Who would you like to see Islam Makhachev defend his title against next?