Alexander Volkanovski has received a major boost ahead of his attempt to reach 'double champion' status after it was confirmed that Khabib Nurmagomedov would not attend UFC 284.

Nurmagomedov, 34, has long mentored the all-conquering Islam Makhachev on his ascent to the lightweight throne, culminating in his victory over Charles Oliveira in Abu Dhabi last year.

After his second round submission of the Brazilian, Nurmagomedov beckoned on the challenge of featherweight king Volkanovski, insisting that his countryman welcomed the prospect of travelling to Australia to defend his newly-won belt.

However, following news that Nurmagomedov has decided to step away from Mixed Martial Arts to focus on his family and business interests, his manager Rizvan Magomedov confirmed that the Dagestani will not travel to Perth next month.

'I think he made it clear and it was such a balanced decision that he approached for a long time, Magomedov said via Sportskeeda. 'There is no need to look for any behind-the-scenes reasons or radical incidents there. 

'He just came to this. He ended his career in 2020 but travels during training camps, during fights. Out of 12 months, he is 10 absent from home, constantly on these trips. 

'And he came to such a decision that it was time to spend time with his family, devote time to children. And, most likely, he will miss this fight, yes.'

UFC legend and analyst Chael Sonnen has questioned the timing of Nurmagomedov's decision, with the biggest fight of Makhachev's career just around the corner.

'It [Nurmagomedov's decision] affects a whole bunch of guys but possibly nobody has a spotlight on them more than Islam,' he said.

'I cannot realistically imagine a scenario where Islam in his career goes into a bigger match.'