Islam Makhachev forced the greatest finisher in UFC history to tap. In the process, Makhachev crowned himself the new undisputed lightweight champion.
Just over three minutes into the second round, Makhachev dropped Charles Oliveira in the second round with a right hand before locking in an arm-triangle choke that forced Oliveira to submit.
The loss halted an 11-fight UFC lightweight win streak for Oliveira (33-9, 1 NC), who would have tied Khabib Nurmagomedov for the longest winning streak in UFC lightweight history had he been victorious. Nurmagomedov, of course, had a cage-side view for the fight as a part of Makhachev’s corner, and he was extremely animated during the victory celebration.
Makhachev (23-1) hurt Oliveira on his feet and the ground. Oliveira invited Makhachev to the mat, but that domain belonged to Makhachev, who also rattled Oliveira with a strike to the skull in the first round. While striking initially appeared to be an advantage for Oliveira, that was never the case in this bout.
The future for Makhachev is planned out. All signs point to him fighting featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who would move up to the lightweight division. That leaves Oliveira in a tough position, likely needing a victory–potentially against Beneil Dariush–to re-enter the title conversation.
Sterling Dominates Dillashaw in Title Defense
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Only one fight after O’Malley and Yan fought to a very tight decision, Aljamain Sterling left no doubt in his bantamweight title fight against T.J. Dillashaw.
Sterling’s ground-and-pound was too much for Dillashaw, forcing the referee to stop the fight with just over a minute remaining in the second round. Dillashaw (17-5) entered the fight in a compromised position, as his left shoulder kept popping out of its socket. Sterling (22-3) applied pressure the entire first round, landing a takedown in the opening minute and controlling the rest of the round.
Dillashaw’s shoulder was massaged back into place in between rounds, but Sterling stayed on the injury. The fight certainly showed the toughness of Dillashaw, which helps his reputation after getting suspended for using a banned substance, but this was a complete and utter domination.
While Dillashaw is a former two-time champion, there is no doubt that the bantamweight division now belongs to Sterling.
O'Malley Earns Split Decision in All-Out Brawl vs. Yan
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Sean O’Malley delivered the fight of his life, defeating Petr Yan in a shocking split decision.
Yan was bloodied, bruised, and temporarily blinded in one eye during the fight, so O’Malley certainly earned the victory. But it was an unexpected decision, as Yan had over five more minutes of control time and six more takedowns. The most impressive shots took place in the second round, with a left hand from O’Malley that stunned Yan, who responded with a ferocious left. Every time Yan got hit, he landed a vicious counter–but it is O’Malley who will move on for a shot at the bantamweight title.
Yan (16-4) has plenty of reasons to be frustrated by the decision, but O’Malley (16-1, 1 NC) put forth impressive rounds in the first and third. The sight of blood gushing near Yan’s eye likely played a factor for the judges, and it is important to note that Yan was unable to capitalize on the majority of his takedowns.
O’Malley challenging for the title is an exciting proposition for the bantamweight division. Following that performance, there is absolutely no reason to doubt him.
Dariush Downs Gamrot in Lightweight Bout
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Beneil Dariush made a statement at 280, defeating a wrecking ball in Mateusz Gamrot to hold his place in the top 10 of the lightweight division.
Dariush (22-4-1) excelled in the second and third rounds, capitalizing on his knees and left hand to win his eighth in a row. He also ended the four-fight win streak of Gamrot (21-2, 1 NC), who desperately needed this victory to place himself right outside the top five of the lightweight division.
After a competitive first round, which ended with Gamrot a slight step ahead and dictating the pace, the next 10 minutes belonged to Dariush. He landed a couple of significant jabs and a big knee to the body, his takedown defense was superior, and he took control of the pace of the fight. The exclamation point came in the third, when Dariush landed a massive left, one that could be heard from Abu Dhabi to Vegas.
Dariush solved the Gamrot puzzle in impressive fashion, taking a giant step toward the title picture.
Fiorot Beats Chookagian via Unanimous Decisiom
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Manon Fiorot earned the most impressive victory of her career, defeating Katlyn Chookagian by unanimous decision.
Fiorot (10-1) has now ripped off 10 wins in a row, but none more impressive than this showing against Chookagian (18-5), who had entered on her own four-fight win streak. Her grappling was strong and she never allowed Chookagian to gain momentum at any point throughout the three-round bout.
The only slight blemish on the victory is that it is recorded at catchweight instead of flyweight because Chookagian missed weight. But that is not on Fiorot in the least bit. She was outstanding, placing herself in the title conversation for a shot at Valentina Shevchenko.
Setting the Stage for Saturday's Action in Abu Dhabi
Today will determine the best fighter in the world.
Charles Oliveira steps into the cage with Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 280 to decide the new lightweight champion.
With all due respect to Alexander Volkanovski, the winner of this bout will be the pound-for-pound best in the world. It is an incredibly hard fight to speculate, as Makhachev has manhandled opponents in a way that is foolish to imagine happening against Oliveira. The strongest indication of how this may unfold is the tale of the tape. Looking back at Oliveira’s most recent wins against Justin Gaethje, Dustin Porier, and Michael Chandler, he withstands their power before unleashing a vicious jiu-jitsu attack. Makhachev has never encountered anything like that, so today will show us if he can overcome that.
UFC 280 is a loaded card. Aljamain Sterling defends the bantamweight title against TJ Dillashaw, a meeting of the division’s past and present. Dillashaw will attempt to prove he is the same fighter that he was in 2018 when he successfully defended the belt against Cody Garbrandt. Since then, he has had two fights -- a disastrous bout against Henry Cejudo where he lost and was caught cheating with banned substances, then suspended by USADA for three years. Dillashaw then returned last summer to defeat Cory Sandhagen in a five-round split decision, and he is set to check in for a wake up call -- one that comes to all fighters -- when Sterling remains a step ahead of him at all times today.
A second bantamweight bout is also extremely compelling, as Petr Yan fights Sean O’Malley. The winner will get a shot at the title, setting up Yan-Sterling III once the merciless Yan finishes O’Malley. There is another lightweight bout, too, pitting Beneil Dariush against Mateusz Gamrot. Dariush is seeking to prove he should still be in title consideration following his 17-month absence from the cage, while a hungry Gamrot now possesses a long-awaited chance to break into the top five of the division.
The only letdown of the card is that Katlyn Chookagian failed to make weight against Manon Fiorot in her flyweight bout. That disappointment is curbed by the Belal Muhammad-Sean Brady fight on the prelims, a key meeting of welterweights. Brady looks to extend his 15-fight undefeated to sixteen, while a win for Muhammad puts him atop the list of contenders for the winner of the Leon Edwards-Kamaru Usman trilogy bout.
UFC 280 has the potential to be the fight card of the year, and it is headlined by a fight that is must-see.
