UFC 280

The showdown for the vacant lightweight title between ex-champion Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev headlines a stacked card for UFC 280 today at Etihad ...

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Makhachev dropped the former champion before locking in his submission to send the crowd in Abu Dhabi into a frenzy.

Petr Yan](https://www.cbssports.com/mma/news/ufc-280-results-highlights-sean-omalley-takes-split-decision-over-petr-yan-to-earn-likely-title-shot/)via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) TJ Dillashaw](https://www.cbssports.com/mma/news/ufc-280-results-highlights-aljamain-sterling-dominates-injured-tj-dillashaw-for-tko-to-retain-title/)via second-round TKO (punches) [Sean O'Malley def. In his most recent outing, Oliveira had again turned the tables after an early scare, submitting Justin Gaethje. This ability to survive in bad spots led to Oliveira winning the lightweight belt in December 2021 with a TKO win over Michael Chandler and a successful defense against Dustin Poirier. Makhachev also landed a few punches in the opening frame that seemed to rock Oliveira. Makhachev won every area of the fight from the opening bell, landing good shots on the feet and scoring an early takedown.

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.

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.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Ever since Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from mixed martial arts two years ago as an undefeated champion, Islam Makhachev's ...

He dropped Oliveira with a short counter right hand and then immediately followed him to the floor -- something very few of Oliveira's previous opponents were willing to do, because of his submission threat. He has a similar style to his legendary teammate and mentor, Nurmagomedov. He converted two of three takedown attempts and accumulated more than five minutes of control time in a fight that lasted only 8:16. Volkanovski (25-1) is coming off his fourth title defense in July and has announced his intent to move up in weight. Nurmagomedov's late father, Abdulmanap, who passed away in 2020 due to complications of COVID-19, always envisioned that Nurmagomedov would retire as champion and Makhachev would pick up where he left off. "I just want to say, this is my belt for coach Abdulmanap," Makhachev said.

'Suga' battled his toughest test to date in a slugfest with the former champion.

I don't know," O'Malley said. But the former champion, who worked a steady diet of calf and body kicks throughout, then responded to being stunned by a left cross in Round 2 by winding up for a left-hand haymaker of his own seconds later to rock O'Malley. "I was a little surprised [Yan chose to wrestle]," O'Malley said. But I was rocked." The post-fight statistics largely fell in O'Malley's favor after outlanding Yan 85 to 76 in total strikes and 69 to 51 in significant strikes. 1 guy in the world."

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 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.

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, featuring vacant lightweight and bantamweight title fights.

Referee: Photos: Recap: Result: Round 1 – [UFC 280 discussion thread](http://mmajunkie.com/2022/10/ufc-280-abu-dhabi-charles-oliveira-islam-makhachev-sterling-dillashaw-comments-forum-discussion-thread).

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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In the main event, Islam Makhachev not only proved he's the best lightweight in the world, he also won the title with style. After staying on top and matching ...

A lot of that was unnecessary. PROS: Islam established himself as a legitimate superstar. Game plan was smart, doing that after wearing him down by the fence, where his guard was negated When shoulder popped and was one armed & defenseless, it should’ve been stopped. Weirdly enough, while most people thought O’Malley got a moral victory, judges somehow awarded him with the actual victory. After staying on top and matching up his wrestling with Charles Oliveira’s jiujitsu, Makhachev went on to knock him down and submit the top notch grappler.

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.