Where is UFC 294 being held? Everything you should know about Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski headliner's location

UFC 294 is set to be one of the most exciting cards of the year as the MMA promotion returns to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The stacked card features a mouthwatering main and co-main event that sees Islam Makhachev defending his lightweight title against Alexander Volkanovski for the second time. 'The Great' accepted the fight on just 11 days notice, with the pair running back their UFC 284 epic contest.

The co-main event also faced similar issues as Kamaru Usman stepped in on short notice, accepting a fight against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. Their clash will be fought at middleweight, with the winner cementing themselves as the No.1 contender for Sean Strickland's 185lb belt.

Check the full card here:

This weekend's card is also almost a year to the date that previously saw Islam Makhachev defeat Charles Oliveira for the vacant title in 2022.

The MMA promotion has regularly returned to the UAE at least once a year, with the country also playing a major role in the UFC's success during COVID-19's 2020 and 2021 lockdowns.

Given the nickname 'Fight Island', Abu Dhabi played host to a staggering 13 separate UFC cards during that two year stretch, hosting the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement fight against Justin Gaethje as well Conor McGregor versus Dustin Poirier 2.

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Kamaru Usman answers whether or not he's ready for Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294

Kamaru Usman has assured fans that they'll see the best version of him when he faces Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 this weekend.

'The Nigerian Nightmare' accepted the bout on just 9 days notice and heads into the fight coming off back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards. Despite his recent hardships inside the octagon, Usman is confident that his gameplan against Chimaev will see him pick up the victory.

During a recent interview with Daniel Cormier, Usman stated that he believes 'Borz' is underestimating him and his wrestling capabilities. According to the former welterweight kingpin, he's 'prepared', and his opponent is not. He said:

"I think so, I think he has to try [to impose his wrestling on me early on]. You don't know unless you know. You know ignorance is bliss. You might think it's going to work on everyone until you get in there and try, [then] it's like aah, it's not working, maybe I need to pivot. So we'll see. I'm prepared for it all."

Catch Usman's comments regarding UFC 294 here (10:22):