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UFC 294: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2
Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev
24-1 · RUS
VS
October 21, 2023 · Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Lightweight · 5 rounds · Main event
155.0lb
Weigh-in
154.5lb
Islam Makhachev def. Alexander Volkanovski by KO/TKO (Kick), R1 3:06
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1 · 3:06
Makhachev24/290/110:19
Volkanovski4/60/000:49
Total
Makhachev24/290/110:19
Volkanovski4/60/000:49

Pre-fight

The model's read going in

The walk-forward model's call at the time of the bout — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.

Prediction
MakhachevWin probabilityVolkanovski
68.4%31.6%
KO / TKO
25%
Submission
9%
Decision
65%
Expected fight time: 19.6 min
Retrospective pick: the walk-forward model's call at the time of the fight — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.
What drives the pick

Each bar is a feature's push on the model from the center axis. Red pushes toward Makhachev, blue toward Volkanovski. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Makhachev68%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO14%20%16%
Submission8%13%21%
Decision46%67%30%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes57 (2478)act 24
Takedowns2.4 (0.05.9)act 0
Volkanovski32%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO11%36%14%
Submission1%2%3%
Decision20%62%14%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes73 (3199)act 4
Takedowns0.2 (0.01.0)act 0
Combined totals~130 sig strikes~2.6 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R112%
R210%
R36%
R44%
R53%
Distance65%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.7%
Makhachev
41.6%+139
Volkanovski
-13957.7%
Most takedownstie 15.7%
Makhachev
77.8%-1199
Volkanovski
+11996.5%
Significant strikes — over/under
Makhachev
Expected: 57.3
57.5
Over 57.5
39.5%
+153
Under 57.5
60.5%
-153
072144
Volkanovski
Expected: 72.8
73
Over 73
39.3%
+153
Exactly 73
0.7%
push
Under 73
60.0%
-153
092183
Takedowns — over/under
Makhachev
Expected: 2.4
2.5
Over 2.5
46.0%
+118
Under 2.5
54.0%
-118
048
Volkanovski
Expected: 0.2
0
Over 0
20.1%
Exactly 0
79.9%
push
Under 0
0.0%
035

Odds are model-implied (no real prop market is priced for these). The “most” prices are draw-no-bet — a tie (for takedowns, usually 0–0) is a push, so each side is priced off its chance of winning given a result, while the % shown is the raw chance of landing strictly more. Drag a line in half-point steps: a half line (e.g. 2.5) is a clean over/under, while a whole number adds a third outcome — landing exactly on it, a push — so over, exact and under sum to 100%. On a whole number the over/under odds are draw-no-bet (priced off the decisive mass, since the push refunds), so the two sides stay mirror images rather than implying an arbitrage.

Expected fight time 19.6 min. Predicted-output ranges are percentiles of the model’s simulated fights: sig strikes the middle 50% (25th–75th); takedowns the wider 10th–90th, since they’re 0 in most fights so a narrow band would collapse to 0. Win-by-method = win probability × that fighter’s own method split: the model forecasts how the fight ends, and that forecast is divided between the corners by each fighter’s finishing record — UFC wins in full, earlier-career wins at half weight, as of fight night — reconciled so the fighters’ totals still equal their win probabilities and the methods still total the fight-level forecast above. “Equity” is each of those over that fighter’s win % — how they win given that they win — so a column adds to 100%, and it differs by corner. A fighter with no classifiable wins at any level leans on the fight-level split. “How it ends” is the model’s round-of-finish split. “Mkt” is the de-vigged market prop (consensus across books), shown for context, not as a betting signal; rounds & totals slots fill as that data lands. Percentages are apportioned by largest remainder, so each set adds to its total exactly and an individual figure can sit a point off its own rounding.

Model vs market
Final
ModelMarketGapLine
To win
Makhachev68.4%68.8%−0.4-254
Volkanovski31.6%31.2%+0.4+207
By method
Makhachev by KO/TKO17.2%15.9%+1.3+422
Makhachev by submission6.4%21.4%−15.0+288
Makhachev by decision44.8%30.4%+14.4+173
Volkanovski by KO/TKO8.0%14.5%−6.5+474
Volkanovski by submission2.9%3.5%−0.6+2281
Volkanovski by decision20.7%14.3%+6.4+478
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds88.0%79.9%+8.1-593
Over 2.5 rds77.9%69.4%+8.5-291
Over 3.5 rds71.7%60.5%+11.2-183
Over 4.5 rds68.0%51.3%+16.7-121
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision65.5%47.3%+18.2-102

Market % is the de-vigged (no-vig) consensus across the books that price both fighters; the line is the average across books with the min–max range in parentheses. Gap is the model minus the market in points (+ = the model rates that outcome above the market). Thin or one-sided markets are flagged or left blank rather than shown as a fabricated %. Shown for context, not as a bet — the closing line is the sharpest public price and the model trails it on average. For 5-round bouts the model splits its round-3+ finish mass into rounds 3–5 by the historical within-bucket rate, so the over-3.5 / 4.5 lines carry a model estimate.

Trait web
77.2Striking81.4
Volkanovski +4.2
79.3Grappling48.1
Makhachev +31.1
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
MakhachevVolkanovski
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1721
Pound-for-pound
1720
1701
Divisional
1541
1487
Striking offense
1547
1540
Striking defense
1527
1557
Grappling offense
1506
1561
Grappling defense
1549
Physical
31 yrs
Age
35 yrs
5'10"
Height
5'6"
70"
Reach
71"
Southpaw
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
2.35
Strikes landed / min
6.25
59%
Strike accuracy
57%
1.27
Strikes absorbed / min
3.36
62%
Strike defense
59%
Grappling (UFC career)
3.24
Takedowns / 15 min
1.86
62%
Takedown accuracy
38%
91%
Takedown defense
69%
1.0
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.2
Form & résumé
93%
UFC win rate
93%
+12
Win/loss streak
+1
100%
Last-5 win rate
80%
62%
Finish rate
38%
Recent opp. quality
252
Days since last fight
105
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Islam Makhachev
  • WAlexander VolkanovskiU-DEC R5
    Close -3658mo before
  • WCharles OliveiraSUB R2
    Close -1821y before
  • WKing GreenKO/TKO R1
    Close -9001y 8mo before
  • WDan HookerSUB R1
    Close -5572y before
  • WThiago MoisesSUB R4
    Close -8102y 3mo before
Alexander Volkanovski
  • WYair RodriguezKO/TKO R3
    Close -3753mo before
  • LIslam MakhachevU-DEC R5
    Close +3008mo before
  • WMax HollowayU-DEC R5
    Close -1921y 4mo before
  • WChan Sung JungKO/TKO R4
    Close -6821y 6mo before
  • WBrian OrtegaU-DEC R5
    Close -1862y 1mo before
Makhachev — win / loss by method
Record: 24-1-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
4 wins, 1 loss
W
17% of wins
L
100% of losses
Submission
11 wins, 0 losses
W
46% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
9 wins, 0 losses
W
38% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
13win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (15%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
6 (46%)Submission(0%) 0
5 (38%)Decision(0%) 0
Non-UFC
11win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (18%)KO/TKO() 0
5 (45%)Submission() 0
4 (36%)Decision() 0
Volkanovski — win / loss by method
Record: 26-2-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
13 wins, 1 loss
W
50% of wins
L
50% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 0 losses
W
12% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
10 wins, 1 loss
W
38% of wins
L
50% of losses
UFC
13win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (38%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
8 (62%)Decision(100%) 1
Non-UFC
13win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
8 (62%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
3 (23%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (15%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Makhachev
Volkanovski
14
UFC fights
14
143.4 min · 10.2 avg
Octagon time
241.3 min · 17.2 avg
16y 0m
Career length
14y 2m
UFC schedule strength

Opponents' records on fight night — toggle their full cross-promotional record vs UFC bouts only.

Makhachev
Volkanovski
306W–87L · 77.9%
Overall
259W–51L · 83.5%
279W–80L · 77.7%
Wins
236W–50L · 82.5%
27W–7L · 79.4%
Losses
23W–1L · 95.8%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Makhachev
Volkanovski
69W–34L · 67.0%
Overall
110W–50L · 68.8%
69W–34L · 67.0%
Wins
99W–46L · 68.3%
0W–0L
Losses
11W–4L · 73.3%
Distance striking
Makhachev
Volkanovski
3.39
Landed / min
6.85
48.5%
Accuracy
53.5%
68.1%
Defense
61.1%
0.31
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.37
36.0%
Time at distance
67.1%
Grappling & control
Makhachev
Volkanovski
3.24
Takedowns / 15 min
1.86
62.0%
Takedown accuracy
38.0%
90.9%
Takedown defense
69.2%
1.05
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.19
83.4%
Control share
80.3%
Strike target map
Makhachev
  • Head69%(231)div 63%
  • Body27%(91)div 21%
  • Legs4%(15)div 16%
Volkanovski
  • Head63%(951)div 63%
  • Body11%(165)div 21%
  • Legs26%(392)div 16%

Where each fighter lands significant strikes (career). “div” = the weight-class average.

Islam Makhachev
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.

Alexander Volkanovski
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.