A legendary UFC 284 card capped off with one of the best title fights MMA fans could have asked for. In a back-and-forth affair, No. 1 P4p Alexander Volkanovski stood his ground against No. 2 P4P and Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. A huge underdog in a fight that no one saw going the distance, Volkanovski was able to stand and strike with Makhachev while limiting him to only 4-for-9 on takedowns. Those takedowns proved to be the difference as Islam Makhachev was able to show he is no slouch on the feet either. Makhachev was awarded the unanimous decision victory (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) and retained his Lightweight Championship.

MMA fans went crazy over the controversial unanimous decision as many felt it should have gone in Volkanovski's favor. Make no mistake, Volkanovski was the more aggressive fighter and controlled the center of the octagon. He landed big shots and out-struck Makhachev on the total 164-95. He also landed the more powerful shots and heard a bigger pop from the hometown Aussie fans. However, Islam was able to find four takedowns throughout the fight and control Volk for an entire round.

Alexander Volkanovski landed the first big shot of the UFC 284 main-event fight at about the 3-minute mark of the first round. From there he strung together a few combinations and had Islam on the back foot. Islam answered with a head kick that wobbled Volk and finished the round with back control and a takedown. All three judges scored the round for Makhachev.

The second round opened up with both fighters landing in the exchanges. Islam began to land cleaner, but Volk threw more shots. Volk stunned Islam with a shot that prompted a single-leg takedown scored by the Dagestani. Volkanovski got to his feet and began striking again when he was stunned by an Islam-left that almost put him on the ground. Islam pressured the rest of the round and won the striking exchanges. All three judges scored the round for Makhachev.

The third round was much closer as Volkanovski came out more aggressive. Volk threw more strikes and landed the bigger shots in a round that took place mostly on the feet. Volk also out-grappled Islam in a few wrestling exchanges and did a good job of stuffing takedown attempts. Islam went 1-3 on takedown attempts in the round and failed to do much with them. Two of three judges scored the round 10-9 Volkanovski. The other judge gave the 10-9 to Makhachev.

In the fourth, Islam took an advantage in the significant strike total and landed a perfect takedown at the 3-minute mark. From there, he sent the entire round controlling Volkanovski's back and threatening with submission attempts on the neck. Frustrated with the inactivity, Volk landed a flurry of punches from his back in a playful manner, hoping to hype the crowd up. All three judges scored the round for Makhachev.

The fifth round saw Volkanovski come out on fire. His superb gas tank didn't waver one bit as he continued to march Makhachev down. Volk began to land strikes in succession and had Makhachev retreating. Both fighters landed huge shots on each other and earned gashes on their faces. Volk did a great job scrambling through the takedowns as Islam was only able to land two attempts. The biggest moment for Volk was when he dropped Islam with a right hand in the final minute of the fight. From there, he finished the round on top landing his signature ground-and-pound. All three judges scored the round for Volkanovski.

In MMA, rounds must be scored individually and apart from each other. I think it's safe to safe that Islam won rounds 1 and 2, as the judges had marked. The third round is up for interpretation. Volkanovski was certainly the more aggressive fighter, but didn't really put Islam in any real danger. I believe this round should have been scored for Volkanovski across the board since he was the more active fighter. The fourth and fifth rounds are no question as Makhachev and Volkanovski were dominant in each, respectively.

In the end, fans will see that Alexander Volkanovski controlled the pace and action of the fight. This is attested to the fact that he was the fighter taking the bigger risks, while Islam had a more cautious approach. Nevertheless, I think when scoring each round individually, the most likely outcome was 48-47 across the board for Islam Makhachev. It will continue to be an interesting rivalry moving forward as the two fighters turned in a performance the MMA world won't soon forget at UFC 284.