"He’s gonna feel the pressure in this fight” - Islam Makhachev’s former teammate says rematch with Alex Volkanovski is bigger than their first clash

Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski are set to battle in the UFC 294 main event on Saturday night.

Their clash in Abu Dhabi will be a rematch of their fight at UFC Perth in February, where Makhachev was awarded a unanimous decision win. The fight was immensely competitive, and many felt that 'The Great' should have had his hand raised.

Following Charles Oliveira's withdrawal from UFC 294 last week due to injury, Alexander Volkanovski will now have a chance to exact revenge on Islam Makhachev.

Makhachev's former teammate Josh Thomson believes that the lightweight champion will be under far more pressure this weekend than during his first fight with 'The Great'.

Thomson points to the support that Islam Makhachev will receive as the reason for the added pressure. He said during a recent episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast:

"He's gonna feel the pressure in this fight. When he fought Charles [Oliveira] in Abu Dhabi, you had thousands of people from Dagestan who came out there to watch. I don't know if there's gonna be the same [number of people] but I can imagine there's gonna be at least another 500 people or 1000 people who come strictly from Dagestan. It's a big deal... we know there's more pressure when it's a hometown thing."

Watch the video below from 17:10:

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Islam Makhachev gets honest about the fallout from IV accusations laid by Alexander Volkanovski's team

Islam Makhachev took on Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in February, where he defeated 'The Great' via unanimous decision.

Makhachev has since stated that the version of himself that faced Volkanovski earlier this year was a diminished one due to the lack of adequate rehydration time post-weigh-ins.

The shortened rehydration time at UFC 284 was not a focal point in the lead-up to the clash. However, following Makhachev's win over 'The Great', Dan Hooker went online and accused the Dagestani of using an IV drip to rehydrate.

Islam Makhachev spoke about the consequences he had to deal with in the aftermath of the incident. He said in a recent media interaction:

"They made some drama after the fight, USADA called me, give me many questions. But I told USADA where I live in the hotel, you have cameras everywhere in the lobby, first floor, elevator, close to my room. You can check, they said someone came to my room to give me an IV, you can check and tell everyone. But after, when I told USADA, it was finished. I'm a professional fighter, a UFC champion, I've never touched something."

Watch the video below from 19:30: