UFC 294: Can Volkanovski become double champion at the second attempt?

With short notice changes to the main and co-main events, and a repeat of one of the fights of the year, the excitement around UFC 294 has accelerated over the past week.

Originally set to be headlined by Islam Makhachev v Charles Olivera, an injury to Olivera in training saw featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski take a rematch against Makhachev with just 10 days notice.

In February, Makhachev gave Volkanovski his first defeat in the UFC, as the lightweight champion earned a close decision victory in one of the fights of the year in Australia.

However, in Abu Dhabi, it will be Volkanovski's turn to attempt to win in enemy territory, and he knows it will be no easy task.

A cousin of former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is seen by many as the fighter who will dominate the lightweight division over the coming years. It was his victory over Olivera this time last year that saw him become champion, and he is unbeaten since 2015, on a 12-fight win streak.

However, if one man can cause an upset, it is Volkanovski. He showed the step-up to lightweight is no problem, as he gave Makachev his toughest fight in the UFC, and will have learnt a lot in their first battle.

Since they last fought, the Australian's dominance of the featherweight division continued when he defeated Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.

If Volkanovski was to win, he would join a short list of fighters who have achieved double champion status in the UFC.

In the co-main event, late drama has also dominated the narrative heading into this weekend. Originally scheduled to be Khamzat Chimaev v Paulo Costa, an injury to Costa has seen former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman step up to middleweight in what should be an exciting encounter.

The long-awaited