UFC 284 rundown: Makhachev, Volkanovski get even greater

Islam Makhachev retained the UFC lightweight title Saturday night, defeating featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision in the UFC 284 main event in Perth, Australia.

In the co-main event, Yair Rodriguez submitted Josh Emmett to become the UFC interim featherweight champ. Also on the card, welterweight prospect Jack Della Maddalena ran through Randy Brown for the biggest win of his career.

Here are three takeaways from the pay-per-view card:

2 pound-for-pound greats level up

In an unprecedented situation, Makhachev and Volkanovski squared off as the top two male pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC. It was also only the seventh time that two reigning UFC champions had fought each other. On paper, Makhachev versus Volkanovski was one of the highest-level bouts in MMA history. And somehow - because this rarely happens in combat sports - the stock of both fighters rose after a thrilling, dramatic, back-and-forth championship battle.

All three judges gave Makhachev the nod - one judge even scored four of five rounds in his favor - but in some ways, Volkanovski felt like just as much of a winner.

Volkanovski dared to be great, and he fell short. He could've stayed put in the featherweight division, where he was approximately three steps ahead of everyone else, including former champion and rival Max Holloway. He could've continued to rattle off win after win. But instead, Volkanovski wanted to challenge himself against one of the most feared fighters in the world - at a heavier weight.

Volkanovski won because he barely lost. He challenged Makhachev in ways few expected, and he was easily the biggest test of the Russian's run as a title contender. Volkanovski denied several takedown attempts, and even after a few successful takedowns, he quickly returned to his feet. Volkanovski neutralized the Dagestani style of wrestling more than anyone else. He also became the first to knock down Makhachev in the UFC since Makhachev's lone career loss (a 2015 first-round knockout to Adriano Martins).

We already knew Volkanovski was a generational featherweight. But he proved he can compete with the best of the best at 155 pounds, too - and not just the Dustin Poiriers and Justin Gaethjes of the division, either, but the boogeyman that is Makhachev. And there's an argument that Volkanovski wasn't even at his absolute best. He seemed to be less disciplined on the feet than usual, perhaps letting the raucous hometown crowd impact his decision-making.

Volkanovski's ridiculous 22-fight winning streak may have ended Saturday night, but it's clearer than ever before that he's one of the top talents in MMA history.

For Makhachev, well, there are two ways to look at it. Some may think this performance hurt his stock. After all, he eked out a decision victory and looked very much human. That's out of the ordinary for Makhachev, who dominated 12 opponents - including former champion Charles Oliveira - en route to the UFC lightweight title.

But at the same time, Makhachev beat a guy who hadn't lost since 2013. He beat a guy who owns wins over Holloway, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, Chad Mendes, and Chan Sung Jung. He beat the pound-for-pound king, for crying out loud. Yes, Volkanovski is a featherweight, and yes, he did look a lot shorter than Makhachev, which probably affected his performance. But it's unfair to not give Makhachev credit for pulling off a gutsy victory over a future UFC Hall of Famer, whom many believed was one of his biggest tests on paper.

So, just because the fight was competitive, that doesn't mean Makhachev's win wasn't impressive. He went five rounds for the first time in his MMA career, and he did so with relative ease. Not only did he go 25 minutes, but he went 25 minutes with Volkanovski, who's known for his cardiovascular endurance and in-fight adjustments. So, Makhachev topping Volkanovski on the scorecards might even be more impressive than had he scored an early finish.

More than anything, though, Makhachev's striking stole the show. He was sharp on the feet, constantly stinging Volkanovski with straight, hard shots from the outside. Makhachev landed 60% of the significant strikes he threw. Meanwhile, Volkanovski landed less than 50% of the strikes he threw for the first time in his UFC career. Makhachev landed 57 significant strikes - compared to Volkanovski's 70 - on the man who was thought to have a major advantage in the stand-up department. Not so major after all. Makhachev is a lot more than just a relentless grappler.

The big winner of the fight - whether it's Volkanovski for coming so close to beating a man thought to be invincible or Makhachev for adding a marquee victory to his resume and leveling up in the striking department - can be debated for months and months and months. But in the end, there's one thing that isn't up for debate: Makhachev and Volkanovski are the two best fighters in the world. That's even more obvious after they produced the best superfight in UFC history.

Rodriguez rounds out his game

Rodriguez became a top featherweight by being one of the most creative, technical, and dangerous strikers in the UFC.

The Mexico native adding a submission game to round out his arsenal would always be a concern for the rest of the division. It appears that's now a reality.

Rodriguez's win over Emmett to claim interim gold was arguably a career-best performance. He attacked Emmett with heavy kicks to the head, body, and legs, and then when the opportunity presented itself, he wrapped up a triangle choke to secure his first UFC victory by submission.

Ever since winning the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America" in 2014, Rodriguez oozed with potential. Although he eventually rose to contention and landed the No. 2 spot in the featherweight rankings, it always seemed like something was missing - like Rodriguez hadn't quite put it all together. Now he has, and a fight with Volkanovski is as good of a 145-pound title bout as you're going to get right now.

Della Maddalena is for real

All the welterweights in the UFC should watch out; Della Maddalena is coming.

The Perth native improved to 4-0 in the promotion with an immensely impressive first-round finish of Brown, a veteran who was riding a four-fight winning streak. He dropped Brown and then put him away with a rear-naked choke. All four of Della Maddalena's UFC wins have ended inside the first round (the first three were knockouts).

This was a big step up in competition for Della Maddalena, and he passed the test with flying colors. Only 26 years old, and with less than seven years of professional experience and 16 pro fights under his belt, Della Maddalena fights like he's been doing this for a lot longer. He's already one of the crispest boxers in the 170-pound division, and he's undoubtedly ready for a top-15 opponent.

If Della Maddalena keeps this up, he'll be a contender in no time. He might even be the future of the division.