UFC 280

The man known as “The Suga Show” pulled out a gritty, gutty and bloody split decision over Yan, the former champion in a Fight of the Night type of battle.

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Just before this fight, even Dana White was hyping up 'Suga' Sean O'Malley as a potential UFC star. Comparisons to Conor McGregor have been constant ever ...

He proved he is one of the most electrifying fighters in the entire UFC. Up next, Sean O'Malley definitely earned himself the chance to get a title shot against the winner of the fight between Sterling and Dillashaw. He did his best and managed to get back up all six times he fell on the ground. Sean O'Malley knew Petr Yan would try to take him down a number of occassions, he needed to remain vigilant and not get bested on the ground. [Dana White was hyping up 'Suga' Sean O'Malley](https://www.marca.com/en/ufc/2022/10/18/634ee2e546163f053c8b45c3.html) as a potential UFC star. Comparisons to [Conor McGregor](https://www.marca.com/en/ufc/2022/10/07/63400199268e3edb0b8b4585.html) have been constant ever since he started his rise through the Bantamweight division.

What's ahead for the new lightweight champion? How about the top of the bantamweight division? Brett Okamoto plays matchmaker after UFC 280.

[Geoff Neal](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3111997/geoff-neal) vs. [Shavkat Rakhmonov](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/4020699/shavkat-rakhmonov) on Jan. [Leon Edwards](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3152929/leon-edwards) vs. [Kamaru Usman](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3088812/kamaru-usman) III next. If all of the names ahead of Muhammad are booked, don't be surprised if the UFC asks Muhammad to stay active and accept a fight against one of these two. Makhachev entered the fight on a 10-fight winning streak and was set to finalize the plan of his coach and longtime teammate [Khabib Nurmagomedov](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2611557/khabib-nurmagomedov), the former UFC lightweight champion: To win the belt. It's a Fight-of-the-Night candidate on paper, and the obvious next move for both, depending how Dillashaw's health is coming off what appeared to be yet another shoulder injury. The difference between two massive wins and two stinging losses comes down to fine details. O'Malley is instantly the biggest fight for him, and the rankings justify it. Whether you agree with the scoring of O'Malley's split decision over Yan or not, there's no doubting he proved himself to be elite. Dariush is so, so, so deserving of a title fight, but even he seems to know it isn't in the cards -- yet. And Volkanovski gets a shot at a second title -- in his home country of Australia.

The action in Abu Dhabi did not disappoint with a pair of title fights and an incredible bout at bantamweight.

The fight was as dramatic as it was fun to watch as O'Malley weathered the storm of Yan's six takedowns and constant physical pressure to bloody and drop his opponent with a flying knee in Round 3. [O'Malley received the benefit of the doubt](https://www.cbssports.com/mma/news/ufc-280-results-highlights-sean-omalley-takes-split-decision-over-petr-yan-to-earn-likely-title-shot/) from the judges in a split decision win over former champion Petr Yan. O'Malley was lucky to receive the nod and twice during his postfight interview admitted that he wasn't sure he even won and would need to rewatch the tape before commenting on whether he's ready for a title shot. But pushing forward with a fight he was physically unfit to win, even with the courage he showed, makes it that much harder to reward him with a big payday for acting "heroically." [entered the Octagon following Makhachev's victory](https://www.cbssports.com/mma/news/ufc-280-alexander-volkanovski-accepts-islam-makhachevs-challenge-for-lightweight-title-fight-in-australia/) for a staredown meant to hype a potential fight between the two in Australia next year for the 155-pound title. And while it's clear from his apology that he wasn't interested in holding up the sport's deepest division any longer, nobody wins in a scenario such as this. Dillashaw deserved enormous credit for surviving the opening round while Sterling, a ground specialist with suffocatingly long limbs, had his way with him on top and repeatedly took his back. The former two-time bantamweight champion, who was hoping to make history at 36 by challenging Aljamain Sterling, was mysteriously absent during UFC Embedded filming and didn't take part in the public workout. Makhachev cut Oliveira early with a left cross and was never in trouble against a fighter who owns the UFC record for submission and stoppage wins. An early injury to TJ Dillashaw also brought an abrupt end to Aljamain Sterling's second defense of his bantamweight title in the co-main event. Given the ease at which he finished Oliveira, it also isn't out of the question that the larger Makhachev would enter as the betting favorite. Not only did Makhachev step up his striking in a big way against Oliveira, his ability to dominate on the ground and create an opening for an immediate finish was nothing short of Khabib-like.

The expectation from former UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and his late father, Abdulmanap, was that Khabib would retire from the UFC and shortly ...

From everything we’ve seen from the 29-year-old, I expect he will be improved and out to make a point. Yan won’t get the next title fight, but outside of that, he remains one of the top fighters in the division. By the time Oliveira’s unbeaten run of 11 fights began in 2018, he was already nearly eight years into his UFC career. If Rosa hopes to move forward, she needs to find a better balance between ground control and aggression on the ground. Nikita Krylov: Nikita Krylov might have been too confident in his chin and striking in the early moments of his light heavyweight bout opposite Volkan Oezdemir. An underdog against the lower-ranked Sean Brady, Muhammad shed his reputation as “only” a point fighter, at least for one night, and showed he is unafraid to engage in a war. In his previous fight, a July decision victory over Armen Petrosyan, he seemed content to gain top control and stall. In his post-fight interview, Muhammad, who is unbeaten in his past nine outings, called for the title fight or a matchup against Khamzat Chimaev. In his post-fight interview, Dariush said he would not beg for anything, but the UFC matchmakers need to get him an opponent ranked above him for his next outing. Dariush’s takedown defense was excellent, his grappling skills top-notch, the timing of his strikes sublime and his cardio magnificent on the way to getting his hand raised. Makhachev made that dream a reality on Saturday with a dominant win over ex-champion Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 280. He lost that fight via second round TKO and then promptly delivered a fairly empty statement to the rest of the division, after falling to UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the ...

Chikadze”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/01/ufc-on-espn-32-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-court-mcgee-leads-charge)– $132,000 Gane”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/01/ufc-270-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-max-earning-francis-ngannou-ciryl-gane)– $241,000 [“UFC on ESPN 32: Kattar vs. Hill”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/02/ufc-fight-night-201-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-jim-miller-highest-earner)– $140,000 [“UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Andrade”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/04/ufc-fight-night-205-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-program-total-8-million)– $149,500 [“UFC on ESPN 34: Luque vs. Gaethje”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/05/ufc-274-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-charles-oliveira-loses-half-his-money-weight-miss)– $320,000 [“UFC on ESPN 35: Font vs. Rakic”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/05/ufc-on-espn-36-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-program-total-passes-3-million)– $173,000 [“UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Vieira”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/05/ufc-fight-night-206-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-lowest-total-this-year)– $127,000 [“UFC on ESPN 36: Blachowicz vs. Gamrot”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/06/ufc-on-espn-38-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-2022-total-4-million)– $140,500 [“UFC on ESPN 37: Kattar vs. Cannonier”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/07/ufc-276-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-record-total-venum-era)– $362,500 [“UFC on ESPN 38: Tsarukyan vs. Fiziev”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/07/ufc-on-espn-39-promotional-guidelines-compliance-pay-total-passes-4-million)– $157,500 [“UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Hill”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/08/ufc-on-espn-40-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-jamahal-hill-main-event)– $140,000 [“UFC 277: Peña vs. Cruz”](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/08/ufc-on-espn-41-venum-pay-promotional-guidelines-compliance-dominick-cruz-marlon-vera)– $195,000 [“UFC on ESPN 40: Santos vs.

Islam Makhachev Defeats Charles Oliveira to Capture Lightweight Title at UFC 280: Becoming the new champion in the same arena his mentor, ...

View this post on Instagram [Aljamain Sterling](https://hypebeast.com/tags/aljamain-sterling) bested former champion [T.J. [UFC](https://hypebeast.com/tags/ufc) recently held its [UFC 280](https://hypebeast.com/tags/ufc-280) event headlined by [Charles Oliveira](https://hypebeast.com/tags/charles-oliveira) vs.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday's card, including one to its new lightweight champion.

Petr Yan via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/10/ufc-280-results-sean-omalley-vs-petr-yan-controversial-decision) [Sean O'Malley](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/sean-omalley) (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) had to dig deep, but took a split decision from former bantamweight champion [Petr Yan](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/tag/petr-yan) (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) for the biggest win of his career. Oliveira was stripped of the title in May when he missed weight for a title fight against Justin Gaethje. But late in the second, Muhammad landed a punch that wobbled Brady, and he took advantage. Oliveira is the UFC’s record holder for career submissions, so Makhachev’s finish was poetic justice. He was a slight underdog against the unbeaten Brady, and the two went back and forth for most of nearly two rounds. Muhammad kept the pressure on and landed punch after punch while Brady backed up.

A super-fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski could be bound for Australia. Immediately after defeating Charles Oliveira to claim the UFC ...

[served as the alternate](https://www.cbssports.com/mma/news/ufc-news-rumors-alexander-volkanovski-will-serve-as-backup-for-lightweight-title-fight-in-abu-dhabi/) for Oliveira vs. Volkanovski has repeatedly expressed his desire to challenge for the lightweight crown as he awaits a clear contender in the featherweight division. Nurmagomedov argued that Makhachev is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and should usurp Oliveira's No. Makhachev overwhelmed Oliveira at UFC 280. Volkanovski is currently the No. A super-fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski could be bound for Australia.

Islam Makhachev had been building to this moment. With the help of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev now wears the UFC gold at 155 pounds.

[Alexander Volkanovski](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3949584/alexander-volkanovski), who happened to be sitting cageside at Etihad Arena. He wanted to pick a fight, a massive fight, for his friend. "Last couple of years, I told you guys Islam Makhachev is the best fighter," Nurmagomedov said. He has been a dominant force since he entered the UFC in 2015, winning 10 fights in a row going into Saturday. But Makhachev has a well-rounded skill set that sets him apart from all others in his division. [Dustin Poirier](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2506549/dustin-poirier). After beating up [Davi Ramos](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3114625/davi-ramos) to run his record to 18-1, Makhachev was sitting at the postfight dais explaining to reporters how he'd gotten it done. Khabib had repeatedly shown that he could do it all inside the cage. Back in their native Dagestan, the elder Nurmagomedov had coached not just his son but also Makhachev, and the new champ wanted to honor his longtime coach with a touching gesture for Khabib, who now serves as his coach and cornerman. And while the title was vacant going into this fight because Oliveira had been stripped after missing weight before his May bout with Gaethje, pretty much the whole MMA world considered the Brazilian the de facto champ. From the start, he did not hesitate to attack Oliveira, who was coming off consecutive finishes of This moment and all that led up to it signified the brotherhood between these two fighters.

Makhachev dominated Oliveira from start to finish and ended the fight at 3:16 of the second round with an arm triangle.

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Charles Oliveira promises to one day be UFC champion again following his loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.

So we’re just going to wait a little bit. There’s days that they’re going to be better than you. We’re going to be home and negotiate it from there.” So what we’re going to do is go back home, see my family, talk to my managers, assess the matters, butt heads a little bit with the UFC. There’s days that you’re going to be better than other people. “No one is ever going to hit me as hard as life has hit me,” Oliveira told reporters at the UFC 280 post-fight press conference.

Islam Makhachev became the new lightweight champion on Saturday night, while Aljamain Sterling defended his bantamweight title against former champ T.J. ...

The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). [Yan](/topic/yan), it is likely that Sean could get a title shot against Aljo. The night's biggest winners were [Islam Makhachev](/topic/islam-makhachev), [Aljamain Sterling](/topic/aljamain-sterling), and [Sean](/topic/sean)O’Malley. [Ultimate Fighting Championship](/topic/ultimate-fighting-championship)(UFC) Lightweight Champion. During the interview, Islam singled out Volkanovski and made it clear to whom he wanted to defend his belt. On the other hand, Sugar Sean won a split decision against former champ Petr Yan.

Islam Makhachev looks somewhat unbeatable at lightweight after winning gold at UFC 280, and it might take a featherweight to end his run.

If Makhachev can be the man to do it, he would truly have a legacy that is unique in a sport where it’s becoming harder and harder to stand out. However, I wouldn’t be taken off guard either if he made another huge statement against Volkanovski and opened more eyes to the true depth of his talents. There will be plenty of time to analyze the Makhachev vs. It seems like Makhachev is poised to make a serious run as champion in this division, but can he separate himself from the pack of the 11 undisputed titleholders who came before him? 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport right now, but he’ll go into Volkanovski’s (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) back yard of Australia to do it. In order to do that, he would need to exceed the record of three consecutive title defenses, which is shared by Nurmagomedov, Benson Henderson, Frankie Edgar and B.J. He has the belt, and sits atop arguably the most stacked weight class in the entire spot. His eight-fight winning streak – which is the longest in the history of the weight class – is proof to that manner. He didn’t get outclassed in this fight by any stretch of imagination, and that’s truly the biggest takeaway from this fight. He’s now undefeated in his past nine contests, and he’s firmly entrenched as one of the very best in the division. And there’s no doubt this experience is going to make him a better fighter going forward. Dillashaw came into their bantamweight championship fight with a pre-existing injury that seemingly took him out of the contest from the very first exchange.

See whom Islam Makhachev and Aljamain Sterling should fight next after their UFC 280 title-fight stoppage victories.

[in the second round](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/10/ufc-280-results-islam-makhachev-vs-charles-oliveira-video-submission-nurmagomedov) to claim the vacant lightweight title. The co-headliner saw Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) make a second defense of his bantamweight strap with [a second-round TKO](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/10/ufc-280-abu-dhabi-results-aljamain-sterling-dominant-tko-injured-tj-dillashaw) of T.J. So what’s coming up from the champs who emerged victorious from UFC 280?

All the best, most interesting, and unquestionably coolest fights the UFC needs to book following their latest event in Abu Dhabi.

To that end, I’d say a smaller step up than Brandon Royval wouldn’t be a bad idea, if that’s still the fight Mokaev wants. He sounded like he had been through hell and was as surprised as anyone to get the win for it. Gamrot came out looking to put the pace on the 33-year-old with his takedowns and scrambles, but Dariush stayed with him every step of the way landing the heavier shots and jumping on sub opportunities whenever he could. But potential opponents got to see a few gaps along the way. A fight that honestly shouldn’t have happened and should have been cancelled the moment officials were informed of the injury before the bout. Even if Yan was putting it back on him, he was taking a lot of big shots to do it. He hurt Yan at multiple points during the fight, did well to fight off takedowns and fight his way up when he did hit the ground. He took all the best that Yan had to offer and answered with powerful offense of his own every time. At this moment that seems like the biggest bout to make in the bantamweight division. Gaethje (and I’m averse to matching guys from the same card), but a fight between Dariush and ‘Do Bronx’ would also be an excellent next bout since Dariush himself seems out of the immediate title conversation. In the main event, Islam Makhachev made a difinitive statement, that he’s the best lightweight in the world today, with a second round submission of Charles Oliveira. Teased ahead of the fight—with Alexander Volkanovski flying out to the event to serve as ‘backup’, in case of last minute weight or injury shenanigans—the UFC already has their next title challenger ready.

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov reacted to his longtime teammate Islam Makhachev's win at UFC 280.

1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/9/13/23350128/mma-pound-for-pound-rankings-september-2022-khamzat-chimaev-smashes-his-way-into-top-20). He then called in the consensus holder of that title, featherweight kingpin [Alexander Volkanovski](https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4234/alexander-volkanovski) (the backup fighter for the UFC 280 main event) for an impromptu faceoff. Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, wasn’t able to see Saturday’s triumph after losing a battle with COVID-19 amid the pandemic. Charles is so good; he’s a high-level fighter, and of course, I was very nervous, because I love this guy. “Because brother, I watch all his life, last 20 years, the way he works so hard, amateur career, professional career, and now he’s almost [there],” Nurmagomedov said. ... Volkanovski clinch, [Islam is] going to hit a lot of kness, he’s going to take his whole energy, he’s going to take him down, and he’s going to choke him out. “We need locations, brother. “This is a very hard sport. He was my father’s favorite student.” The former lightweight champ could hardly contain his joy after Makhachev’s arm-triangle submission. This is Dagestani belt.’ They gave it to me, I put it on.” This is yours.

The PPV featured the Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveira lightweight championship bout in the main event. Former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov ...

On the other hand, Omargadzhiev’s record fell to 0-2 in the UFC and 13-2 overall. He controlled the action throughout the first round of the lightweight championship bout, before dropping Oliveira in the second round and securing a choke. Both fighters displayed great grappling skills over the first two rounds, as the final round turned out to be a war of attrition and fatigued striking.

Watch the UFC 280 highlights video and recap from the retooled co-main event pitting Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev. The bout headlined the UFC 280 ...

The bout headlined the UFC 280 fight card on Saturday, October 22, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. [MMAWeekly.com on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/MMAWeeklyVideos/?sub_confirmation=1)) Watch the UFC 280 highlights video and recap from the retooled co-main event pitting Charles Oliveira vs.

What can we take away from a fascinating slate of title fights and marquee matchups at UFC 280? Marc Raimondi and Brett Okamoto offer up their thoughts from ...

[Khamzat Chimaev](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/4684751/khamzat-chimaev) start hot and shoot right to the top, Muhammad had to earn every step in his journey, making adjustments and improvements along the way. Muhammad was exciting in losses to [Alan Jouban](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3045738/alan-jouban) and [Vicente Luque](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3045887/vicente-luque), the latter a knockout loss, but at the time, many pegged him as little more than a journeyman or gatekeeper. [Khabib Nurmagomedov](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2611557/khabib-nurmagomedov)'s team with others -- and just kept improving. Muhammad was a wrestler in high school under coach and MMA fighter [Louis Taylor](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2512981/louis-taylor). With wrestling and grappling as his go-to strategy, Muhammad is on a nine-fight unbeaten streak following a TKO finish over top up-and-coming fighter [Sean Brady](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/4295192/sean-brady) at UFC 280. [Belal Muhammad](https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/3172112/belal-muhammad)'s UFC career started, few people outside him and his team could envision he would be what he is now: one of the best welterweight fighters in the world. Now, in Sterling's second title defense, he stopped an injured [TJ Dillashaw](http://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2611719/tj-dillashaw) via second-round TKO. This is a wild sport, and Sterling is just riding the wave while simultaneously being an elite fighter. But his process of getting the belt and retaining it has been unorthodox, to say the least. Dillashaw could not defend himself properly, and Sterling did what he had to do: finish the fight dominantly with ground-and-pound. He's honest with himself, and he's fine with the rest of his team being honest with him. He's doing the work and he's doing it smartly.

UFC star Khamzat Chimaev is making a habit of getting into physical confrontations with fighters outside of the Octagon on cards he's not even involve.

“It doesn’t bother me or hurt my feelings or any of that stuff. So the seats behind me are owned by Abu Dhabi.” “These things happen. It happens. It happens, especially with him. [UFC 280](https://talksport.com/sport/mma/1198373/ufc-280-date-uk-start-time-fight-card-live-stream-tv-channel-oliveira-vs-makhachev-sterling-vs-dillashaw/) in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night to watch [Islam Makhchev](https://talksport.com/sport/mma/1226413/charles-oliveira-vs-islam-makhachev-ufc-280-results/) pick up the lightweight title with a second-round submission win over Charles Oliveira.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC 280: Islam Makhachev is amazing, but his reign might be short lived. Read full article. 9. Mike. Sun, October 23, 2022 at 10:30 AM ·6 min read. What mattered most at UFC 280 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi?

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