Makhachev-Oliveira 2, Costa-Chimaev announced for UFC 294

UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday that a rematch between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira will headline UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The blockbuster event will also include a middleweight bout between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev and a middleweight fight between Ikram Aliskerov and Nassourdine Imavov. Costa was supposed to fight Aliskerov at UFC 291 on July 29 but that fight is now off.

Oliveira said on July 8 that he wouldn't be ready to face Makhachev in October, according to TSN's Aaron Bronsteter. Makhachev defeated "Do Bronx" at UFC 280 in October 2022 to win the vacant lightweight title. Oliveira bounced back from the loss in style, defeating Beneil Dariush via first-round TKO at UFC 289 in June.

Oliveira won the lightweight championship in 2021 by knocking out Michael Chandler and defended it once against Dustin Poirier. Oliveira was stripped of it after missing weight for a May 2022 bout against Justin Gaethje. He then beat Gaethje by first-round submission to set up the vacant title bout versus Makhachev.

Costa and Chimaev have developed a bitter rivalry recently, exchanging jabs on social media on multiple occasions.

Chimaev hasn't lost in his MMA career and is 6-0 since his UFC debut in 2020. The 29-year-old hasn't fought since defeating Kevin Holland by submission in September 2022 at UFC 279. Chimaev was set to fight Nate Diaz at the time, but the bout was called off the day before the event due to Chimaev missing weight.

Chimaev, currently the No. 4 welterweight, and his representatives discussed which weight would be best for him after the Holland fight, and they ultimately decided to move up to middleweight.

Meanwhile, Costa, who's the seventh-ranked middleweight, most recently defeated Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision at UFC 278 in August 2022. The victory snapped the 32-year-old's two-fight skid.