In the Saturday main event in Abu Dhabi, the world's top two pound-for-pound fighters squared off for a second time, with Makhachev emerging triumphant once more. He successfully defended his lightweight title by securing a first-round knockout victory over Volkanovski. This rematch took place after Makhachev's previous unanimous decision win over Volkanovski at UFC 284 in February. Once more, he found himself facing the featherweight champion when Volkanovski stepped in on short notice to replace the injured Charles Oliveira.

Volkanovski suffered only his third career loss, with this being just the second time he was defeated by knockout. During the post-fight press conference that evening, he discussed the slow start that ultimately led to his disappointing outcome.

“I felt strong in there, but obviously I’ve been telling you I want to put some hands on him and whatnot. I wanted to pull the trigger, but it just felt a little weird in there, that little bit hesitant, which I didn’t expect. It was like I was waiting for something. I was like, ‘I’m going to go, I’m going to go,’ and then he got me.” Volkanovski said.

“I’m not going to sit there and make excuses. Obviously, I’m a big believer in preparation and stuff like that, but I back myself. That’s the decision I made. I’ve probably made decisions — I could have made better decisions. He’s not somebody you should be taking a short-notice with, but I needed it.”

When questioned about his possible hesitation in the cage, Volkanovski appeared uncertain about how to provide an explanation.

Although he agreed to the fight with less than a two-week notice, he declined to attribute his loss to a shortage of preparation time. Clearly overwhelmed with emotion, Volkanovski proceeded to elucidate his drive for seizing the opportunity, even in less than optimal conditions, citing a persistent restlessness that troubles him during idle periods between fights.

Volkanovski was urged to provide more details, particularly regarding why he believed that inactivity was causing him significant distress. Once more, he hinted at underlying concerns, without explicitly disclosing the specific personal challenges he might be facing outside of competitive matches.

Before committing to the Makhachev rematch, the process was already underway for Volkanovski to defend his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria at UFC 297, scheduled for January in Toronto.

Throughout the fight week, Volkanovski consistently asserted his intention to face both Makhachev and Topuria. However, on Saturday, he acknowledged the need for some time to contemplate his next steps.

“It keeps me healthy, so it needs to happen. Obviously, we need to see. I don’t think I’m too concussed, to be quite honest. I’ll probably have to wait a while to do things, but I’m OK. I’m obviously just hurting.” Volkanovski said.