When former featherweight champion  Alexander Volkanovski and lightweight titleholder  Islam Makhachev first fought at UFC 284 in February 2023, the fight went the distance and was close contested.  The rematch at UFC 294 didn’t go a full round. Makhachev was expected to face former lightweight champion  Charles Oliveira in the UFC 294 main event, but Oliveira was forced out of the fight after suffering  a nasty cut in training.  Volkanovski stepped in on eleven-days notice.  It was the first time that champions in different divisions rematched for the same title.