The first fight between a Russian Islam Makhachev and the representative of Australia Alexander Volkanovski recognized as the best fight of the year at the World MMA Awards‑2023, reports MMA Fighting.
The meeting between the fighters took place on February 12 at the UFC 284 tournament in Perth, Australia. UFC lightweight champion Makhachev defeated the featherweight champion by unanimous decision. On October 21, the UFC 294 tournament took place in Abu Dhabi, where the athletes met for the second time, with Brazilian Charles Oliveira withdrawing from the fight with Makhachev. The fight ended with the Russian winning by knockout in the middle of the first round.
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards was recognized as the fighter of the year, and UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso was recognized as the best female fighter. The MMA career award went to American fighter and wrestler Ken Shamrock, a member of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Winners in other categories: Breakthrough of the Year – Alex Pereira; person of the year – Joe Rogan; Coach of the Year – Mike Brown; sensation of the year – victory of Alexa Grasso over Valentina Shevchenko; KO and Comeback of the Year – Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
