Starting with the main event of the evening, Islam Makhacev was victorious over Charles Oliveria to win the UFC Lightweight Championship. Makhacev submitted Oliveria with an arm triangle choke in the third minute of round two.
Makhachev controlled the majority of the fight, using his wrestling-heavy style to shut down any offense from Oliveira. He eventually got the better of the Brazilian in round two, securing the takedown to set up a brutal arm triangle which forced Oliveira to tap. Coming into the fight Makhachev was on a 10-fight win streak, since his first professional loss at UFC 192, in 2015.
Known for his Sambo Russian style of fighting that originated in the Red Army, meaning “self-defence without weapons”, Makhacev was the favourite entering his 24th UFC fight. In his corner was fellow Dagestani fighter, the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov who was the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Champion in UFC history and regarded as one of the best fighters of all time before his pre-mature retirement in March 2021 with an undefeated record of 29-0.
However, on paper, it was far from an easy fight for Makhachev. His opponent, Charles Oliveria, nicknamed “Do Bronx” and known for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu, was deemed to be the best lightweight fighter in the world due to his wizard-like ground game and his exceptional Muay Thai clinch game. This was Oliveira’s 42nd UFC fight and he was also on a winning streak, having won 11 fights in a row since June 2018. He also has the most finishes (19) and submissions (16) in UFC history.
Islam Makhachev is now set to fight UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski, who was the backup for the UFC 280 main event in case anyone pulled out.
As for Oliveria, a rematch is probably not something he will look for, considering he has already taken out the top five ranked lightweight fighters (minus Makhachev). He will take some time off and hopefully be back in the cage very soon.
Before the big one, Aljamain “Funk Master” Sterling fought TJ Dillashaw in the co-main event for the UFC Bantamweight Title. In the third minute of round two, Sterling defeated Dillashaw by TKO, to retain his belt in what was his eighth victory in a row.
The Jamaican-American wrestler took Dillashaw down within the opening seconds of the fight and seemingly dislocated TJ's shoulder. The shoulder was popped back into place after the first round but didn't seem to change the direction of the fight. Sterling went on to dominate the ground and drew the finish with continuous strikes to the head of Dillashaw.
Sterling is known for his chain wrestling and transitions, especially on the back of his opponent. He was the favourite going into the fight having previously defeated the number one contender, Petr Yan, by a split decision.
His opponent, TJ Dillashaw, was making his comeback fight after being handed a two-year suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). He tested positive for EPO ahead of his loss to Henry Cejudo in January 2019. Dillashaw, who is known for his explosiveness and intelligent feints to set up bigger shots, is the former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion.
The fight of the night occurred between, #12-ranked bantamweight “Sugar” Sean O’Malley, in his split decision victory over the division’s #1-ranked, the former champion, Petr Yan. Many UFC fans questioned the decision to give O’Malley the chance to fight Yan, however, the bout turned out to be the most thrilling, action-packed fight on the entire card.
The three rounds saw both fighters get rocked by strikes and despite being taken down by Yan on several occasions, O’Malley kept working to his feet, making the most of his reach advantage, going toe-to-toe with one of the best boxers the UFC has ever seen.
Peter Yan is one of the toughest fighters on the UFC roster. Known for his lethal, devastating boxing skills both offensively and defensively in the cage, Yan has lethal punch power and likes to break down his opponent over the course of a fight. He is joint first for the most knockdowns landed (10) in UFC Bantamweight history. O’Malley is similar in his striking talents with more long-range abilities. He was best described by UFC.com scribe E. Spencer Kyte as a “technicolour striker,” a hint at his diverse striking and creativity which sets up his bigger moves.
The split decision in favour of O’Malley spiked a lot of controversies but overall the fight was very close and Sean proved that he belongs among the very best in the world. Both fighters also received $50K bonuses for putting on the event’s Fight of the Night.
#5-ranked welterweight Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammed earned the performance of the night bonus, pocketing an extra $50K. He delivered one of the best performances of his career, defeating Sean Brady by TKO in the fourth minute of round two.
The rest of the results from the night:
UFC 280 was highly-anticipated and certainly delivered for fans all around the world. The next UFC Fight Night is on Sunday, October 30th as Ipswich man Arnold “Almighty” Allen takes on Calvin Kattar in Las Vegas.