UFC 280 wasn’t without a few asterisks.
Sean O’Malley eeked a controversial split decision over Petr Yan… despite the latter logging several takedowns and an abundance of control time to separate himself in the scorecard; the live betting odds indicating -800 in the Russian contender’s favour right up until Sugar Sean’s hand was raised.
Aljamain Sterling retained his bantamweight title after less than two rounds against TJ Dillashaw… whose left shoulder was (secretly) in questionable condition prior to entering the Octagon, popping out of his socket twice once the hostilities kicked off, and rendering him unable to defend himself in any meaningful way.
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But it’s safe to say there’s zero doubt surrounding the championship status of Islam Makhachev, protégé of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dagestan’s latest boogeyman, who stopped Charles Oliveira dead in his tracks to claim the lightweight throne at UFC 280.
The bout opened as expected with Oliveira weathering some punishment on his feet and attempting to chain a submission sequence – several sequences, in fact – on the ground. Round 1 was punctuated by a nasty upkick that landed flush on Makhachev’s chin.
What we didn’t expect was how quickly Makhachev managed to close the book on Oliveira in the second round. After knocking Do Bronx down, the newly-crowned champ smothered the outgoing champ and locked up a head and arm triangle. The tap came soon after. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena erupted.
The main criticism surrounding Islam Makhachev up until this point is that he’s never truly been tested; that he isn’t Khabib 2.0. Both of which have been true.
Now with his biggest challenge in the rear view mirror, definitive proof he’s an entirely different animal, and a fight against Australia’s reigning featherweight champ and pound-for-pound king, Alexander Volkanovski, very much on the cards for UFC 284 (scheduled for Perth come February 2023)… it’s a bloody exciting time to be a fight fan.
Side note: looks like the $1 million training camp and having Hasbulla in his corner helped.
UFC 280 Results (Main Card)
- Islam Makhachev (C) defeats Charles Oliveira by Submission (Head & Arm Triangle) – 3:16 | Round 2
- Aljamain Sterling (C) defeats TJ Dillashaw by TKO (Strikes) – 3:44 | Round 2
- Sean O’Malley defeats Petr Yan by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Beneil Dariush defeats Mateusz Gamrot by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Manon Fiorot defeats Katlyn Chookagian by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
