Charles Oliveira was dropped from the Abu Dhabi card due to an injury, UFC president Dana White said on Tuesday night, just 5 days before the projected UFC 294 fight card, which was supposed to feature Makhachev vs Oliveira going head-to-head.
Oliveira is replaced by Alexander Volkanovski for the scheduled UFC 294 on October 21. This results in the highly anticipated lightweight title rematch that fans have been waiting for.
The two will cross paths again after their first meeting in February in Perth during a Super Fight between reigning champions. With only 5 days to prepare for the title battle for the latter, Makhachev will have a difficult challenge after defeating Volkanovski in their previous encounter.
Also Read:
UFC 230: Edson Barboza vs Sodiq Yusuff Bonuses Set New Record
When Will Israel Adesanya Return To The Fighting Octagon Next
Changes In The Fightcard Of UFC Fight Night 230 Post Weigh-Ins
How To Stream Online Makhachev vs Volkanovski 2
UFC 294 broadcast will be available as a PPV (pay-per-view) buy through ESPN+ in the US. Since securing a second two-year extension to an existing five-year contract in 2019, the cable network, which has carried the rights for UFC PPV events since 2018, has only permitted PPV events to be purchased through their streaming platform.
Since that time, all UFC PPV events have been unavailable to traditional linear television viewers in real-time, including those who regularly subscribe to cable or satellite services that include ESPN. Before they can even buy the PPV, MMA fans must have ESPN+ in their pocket if they want to see the main card action from UFC 294 live.
Fans will still be able to see some of the action from Abu Dhabi even if they do not want to spend money on the main event because the preliminary card will be shown on ESPN+ without PPV restrictions.
Although the cost of the PPV has not yet been disclosed, a regular PPV fight on ESPN+ costs $79.99, therefore we can anticipate that the UFC 294 will be priced similarly or at a similar level.
Editors pick
