"Islam actually paid our check" - Alexander Volkanovski's teammate shares heart-warming interaction with Islam Makhachev post UFC 294

At UFC 294, Islam Makhachev finally laid his rivalry with Alexander Volkanovski to rest with a spectacular first-round knockout over the featherweight champion.

Abu Dhabi was a redemption story for Makhachev, vindicating himself from what many thought to be a lackluster performance against the Australian in their original meeting in February.

However, the loss at UFC 294 means that 'The Great' would most likely not get a lightweight title shot as long as the Russian remains the champion. Despite all these definitive outcomes, the duo had a rather heartwarming moment after the fight.

During a recent segment of the El Segundo podcast, Volkanovski's jiu-jitsu coach, Craig Jones, revealed that Makhachev paid for 'The Great's' team lunch when they ran into one another in a restaurant:

"We are there eating lunch... and we look out the window, and Islam's crew comes in... and they sit at another table... Islam actually paid our check, which was super kind of the guy... Then Volk and Islam obviously got a photo together and stuff."

Islam Makhachev is currently 25-1 as a pro mixed martial artist. Although many thought the Dagestni would finally top the pound-for-pound charts after the statement win, Jon Jones still holds the No.1 spot.

Alexander Volkanovski holds a record of 26-3. He is still undefeated at featherweight and sits at the third spot in the pound-for-pound rankings. Despite the crushing defeat against the Russian, he is adamant about returning in January against Ilia Topuria.

---

Tim Welch and Sean O'Malley discuss Justin Gaethje vs. Islam Makhachev

Sean O'Malley's coach, Tim Welch, believes Justin Gaethje might be a credible threat to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

During a recent segment on the bantamweight champion's YouTube channel, Welch reasoned that it was acclimatization issues and odd fight timings that crippled 'The Highlight' against Makhachev's long-time friend and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254.

He added that if Gaethje is not bogged down by similar circumstances when he fights Islam Makhachev, he might knock out the lightweight champion, despite him sharing similar skill sets to that of 'The Eagle':

"Everyone thinks Justin Gaethje would get ran through. I dont think he would dude... This Gaethje now versus Islam in Vegas or something, I wouldn't be that surprised if Gaethje knocked him out."

Catch Tim Welch's comments below (0:37):