UFC 294: Charles Oliveira replaced by Alexander Volkanovski in Islam Makhachev fight
The IndependentSign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Charles Oliveira will be replaced by Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 294 main event on 21 October, as Islam Makhachev defends the lightweight title. Reacting to his short-notice rematch with Makhachev – a longtime friend of UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov – Volkanovski wrote on Instagram: “I love this s***.” Oliveira, meanwhile, shared a video with the caption: “I apologize.” Volkanovski’s loss to Makhachev in February was the Australian’s first defeat since 2013, and it was just the second of his professional career. Volkanovski was in fact the back-up fighter for Oliveira and Makhachev’s first fight, while Mateusz Gamrot was named as the back-up for the rematch, only to be overlooked. UFC president Dana White also revealed on Tuesday that the co-main event of UFC 294 is under threat, with Paulo Costa having undergone elbow surgery just weeks before his planned bout with Khamzat Chimaev.