UFC 294: Expert picks and best bets - ESPN

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev puts his belt on the line in a rematch against featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski in the main event at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday (2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+).

Makhachev, ranked No. 2 in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings, has not fought since his last title defense against Volkanovski at UFC 284 in February. Volkanovski, ESPN's No. 1 P4P fighter, took this fight on short notice after Charles Oliveira was forced to withdraw due to injury. Volkanovksi beat Yair Rodriguez by third-round TKO to retain the 145-pound title at UFC 290 in July.

In the co-main event, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman moves up to middleweight to take on Khamzat Chimaev in a No. 1 contender fight for a shot at 185-pound champion Sean Strickland. Usman, who also took the fight on short notice after Paulo Costa had to withdraw following surgery, enters the fight following back-to-back title fight losses to Leon Edwards. Chimaev has yet to fight this year. His last fight was a first-round submission win over Kevin Holland at UFC 279 in September 2022.

ESPN MMA analyst Megan Anderson gives her perspective on the UFC 294 main and co-main events. ESPN's betting experts Reed Kuhn and Ian Parker add their insights and analysis on the main event and other intriguing bets they like on the card.

Editor's note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

How Makhachev wins: The same way he won in the first fight — grab a hold of Volkanovski and keep him down. Although Makhachev didn't do much with it in the last fight, the positional control time allowed him to win rounds. In the first fight, I think Makhachev underestimated Volkanovski's