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Perth, Australia got just about everything imaginable on Saturday night at UFC 284. The wild Aussie crowd brought tremendous energy throughout the night, including as they cheered on countryman and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in his main event clash with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

Volkanovski put up a tremendous fight in trying to become a two-division champion but ultimately came up short, losing a unanimous decision in a fight that showed the skills, toughness and heart of both champions.

The co-main event was a brilliant showcase for Yair Rodriguez, with the Mexican star battering Josh Emmett on the feet before finishing the fight with a triangle choke in the second round. With the win, Rodriguez captured the interim featherweight title and will now wait for a clash with Volkanovski later in 2023 to unify the belts.

With those two big title matches in the books, let's take a look back at the big lessons learned from UFC 284.

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Makhachev showed off a scary complete set of skills

Makhachev did not enter the fight with Volkanovski as a heavy favorite because he was expected to outstrike the featherweight champion. In fact, the idea that the majority of the fight would play out as a striking contest would have suggested things had gone in a terrible direction for the native of Dagestan, Russia.

As the fight played out, however, Makhachev showed himself more than capable of not only hanging with Volkanovski on the feet, but of frequently getting the better of striking exchanges. This was not a product of Makhachev's size, as Volkanovski has gotten the better of taller fighters than Makhachev, namely Max Holloway. Makhachev's success came from not biting on Volkanovski's feints and keeping his own punches short and quick, clipping Volkanovski repeatedly and punishing the featherweight champ nearly any time he got sloppy in letting his hands go.

Combine a clearly evolving striking game with his dominant wrestling and ground game and Makhachev has a toolbox that is overflowing with options for how to solve any problem that may present itself. Even Khabib Nurmagomedov never displayed as fleshed out a striking game as Makhachev possessed on Saturday night, which means the rest of the lightweight division could be in for some hard times ahead.

Volkanovski's stock rises despite the loss

Volkanovski did not need to take the fight with Makhachev. Despite fighting at 155 pounds earlier in his career, Volkanovski is a featherweight. Like most truly great fighters, Volkanovski wanted to build his legacy by taking on the biggest challenge he could find. That meant going up a weight class while recognized as the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and facing off with lightweight's new unstoppable force.

Many thought Volkanovski wouldn't be able to handle Makhachev's strength. He never truly was outmuscled. 

Many felt he couldn't survive once the fight hit the ground. He survived and escaped several times and was never truly in trouble when Makhachev had advantageous positions. 

The odds suggested he had little chance of winning. Still, had a few brief sections of action played out differently, Volkanovski would have had his hand raised.

Volkanovski yet again proved to be wildly talented and iron-tough in taking on -- and nearly conquering -- the biggest challenge of his career. He can now return to featherweight to handle business while keeping a return trip to 155 for a rematch in the back of his mind.

The evolution of Yair Rodriguez is complete

For years, Rodriguez had been established as a fighter with a flashy, fan-friendly striking style. That style left him open to takedowns, which nullified his best tools and he'd looked lost at times when forced to fight off his back. Still, Rodriguez found success through a combination of speed, angles and power on the feet early in his career.

Emmett was able to twice end up on top of Rodriguez on the ground and both times Rodriguez not only had a gameplan in place to survive, but he went on the attack. This led to Rodriguez working from the guard to an armbar attempt to a slick transition to the fight-ending triangle choke in the second round.

Like Makhachev in reverse, Rodriguez has shown that dedication to building up his grappling skills has turned him into a complete fighter. With the confidence that he can survive, and even thrive, on the ground, Rodriguez only becomes more deadly with his unorthodox striking attack.

A fight with Volkanovski is one of the most exciting possible fights that can be made in the Octagon and all fight fans should be looking forward to seeing the two clash later this year.