Preview: UFC 294 Prelims

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will return to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with UFC 294 and an interesting slate of prelims. The best fight of the batch takes the featured slot at Etihad Arena, where flyweight uber-prospect Muhammad Mokaev looks to break into the Top 10 at 125 pounds against Tim Elliott, who figures to be his toughest test to date. In terms of pure action, a bantamweight battle between Javid Basharat and Victor Henry stands out, and the long-waited promotional debut of middleweight Sharabutdin Magomedov serves as the other main point of interest.

Now to the preview for the UFC 294 “Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2” prelims:

Flyweights

#11 FLW | Muhammad Mokaev (10-0, 4-0 UFC) vs. #10 FLW | Tim Elliott (19-12-1, 8-10 UFC)

ODDS: Mokaev (-485), Elliott (+370)

It is time for the long-awaited first big test of Mokaev’s professional career. “The Punisher” came into the UFC as a particularly hyped prospect in 2022, owing to a highly decorated amateur mixed martial arts career. As a result, Mokaev has an extremely impressive level of poise for a 23-year-old fighter. While Mokaev is clearly a talent with plenty of upside, there are some concerns in the short term. He is at his best as a standout wrestler, and given his youth, he is not necessarily the type of overpowering athlete guaranteed to control his opponents, particularly down at flyweight. Still, Mokaev has impressed in his four UFC bouts thus far. A 58-second win over Cody Durden is the clear highlight, but Mokaev has been able to grind out wins over decent opposition and shown a great deal of heart in the process, even gutting through a Jafel Filho kneebar that would have finished most fighters in March. Elliott is the first opponent that looks to ask Mokaev some real questions inside the cage, as the divisional stalwart looks as focused as ever since his return from injury in June. Elliott washed out of the UFC in 2015 thanks to some tough matchmaking but quickly earned his way back into the promotion the following year, starting off as a fun but flawed veteran test. An awkward striker and relentless grappler, Elliott’s inefficient style would cause problems for opponents up until the point that he tired himself out. Some personal and professional changes seemed to help Elliott find some focus and become a more consistent fighter—a previous version was not getting his March 2022 win against Tagir Ulanbekov over the finish line—but all of that got thrown into turmoil while he was on the shelf, leaving some questions as to how his mental baggage would show up against Victor Altamirano in June. Somewhat surprisingly, Elliott looked even more locked in than ever, adding in a control-oriented focus to his wrestling that has made his game more complete—a wrinkle that also makes what should be a wrestling- and grappling-heavy fight against Mokaev even more interesting. The read is that Mokaev still has enough in terms of wrestling chops to stay ahead of Elliott here, but that is far from a guarantee. Win or lose, this should be a learning moment for the top prospect. The pick is Mokaev via decision.

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