UFC 294 Date, Location, Rumors, Confirmed Fights and Betting Odds
Although over four Pay-Per-Views away, many details have already been revealed about UFC 294. It was announced that the event would occur in Abu Dhabi, a location frequently visited by the UFC. The Etihad Arena will host the event, which has previously hosted historic PPVs such as UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev and UFC 267: Blachowicz vs. Texeira. Many famous fighters have competed in Abu Dhabi, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor Mcgregor, Petr Yan, Sean O'Malley, and Aljamain Sterling.
Confirmed Fights
There are currently no confirmed bouts for the UFC 294 card but come back here in the future for any updates surrounding fight announcements.
Rumored Bouts
While the current opponent is unknown, the reigning Lightweight Champion, Islam Makhachev, is expected to headline or at least be featured in the event. Makhachev claimed his title inside the same arena on October 22nd, 2022, when he defeated Charles Oliveira via second-round submission. He defended his title for the first time against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 via unanimous decision. Although the opponent is unknown, we can surmise who it may be. The winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Beniel Dariush is the frontrunner to take the title opportunity. Oliveira was scheduled to face Dariush at UFC 288 but was pushed back to UFC 289 due to Oliveira suffering an injury. The only other option could be a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski, but he needs to successfully defend his title against Interim Featherweight Champion Yair Rodriguez before entertaining the rematch.
The Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards has also expressed interest in fighting in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294. The Brit successfully defended his title for the first time against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 and now eyes a super fight against Colby Covington, which he said he wants at UFC 294.
Betting Odds
All odds are provided via BestFightOdds.com, as of May 8, 6PM EST.
The bout between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington has odds released despite not being official. Currently, Covington stands at the slightest of favorites, sitting at a -115, with Edwards just behind as the underdog at -110. Covington opened as a much broader favorite at a comfortable -190, but the fans faith in "Rocky" Edwards have shrunk the match down to a near pick em'.
The UFC always brings stacked cards to Abu Dhabi, and this one should be no different. So who would you like to see on this card? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
