UFC 280: Oliveira vs Makhachev – A Battle for the…

UFC 280 took place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 22, 2022, with the vacant lightweight championship at stake. Islam Makhachev submitted Charles Oliveira to win the belt, Aljamain Sterling retained his bantamweight title, and Sean O’Malley earned a split-decision victory over Petr Yan.

Makhachev captures the vacant lightweight title

Oliveira entered as the former champion, having lost the belt after missing weight before UFC 274. His win over Justin Gaethje had left the title vacant, making the Abu Dhabi main event a championship contest for both men.

Makhachev combined takedowns and top control with effective striking. In round two, he dropped Oliveira, followed him to the mat and secured an arm-triangle choke at 3:17. The submission made Makhachev lightweight champion and ended Oliveira’s winning run.

Sterling retains as O’Malley advances

Sterling stopped TJ Dillashaw with ground strikes at 3:44 of round two. Dillashaw’s shoulder injury severely limited him, while Sterling maintained dominant positions and completed his second successful bantamweight title defense.

O’Malley and Yan fought an intense three-round contest featuring striking damage, takedowns and scrambles. O’Malley won a split decision, a result that drew debate but nevertheless represented a major step forward against a former champion.

Dariush, Fiorot and Muhammad deliver

Beneil Dariush defeated Mateusz Gamrot by unanimous decision, using his scrambling and striking to handle a demanding lightweight matchup. Manon Fiorot also won a unanimous decision, beating Katlyn Chookagian at flyweight.

Belal Muhammad stopped Sean Brady late in round two and ended Brady’s unbeaten record. Caio Borralho, Nikita Krylov, Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Armen Petrosyan won decisions, while Muhammad Mokaev submitted Malcolm Gordon and Karol Rosa took a majority decision over Lina Länsberg.

Complete UFC 280 results

• Islam Makhachev def. Charles Oliveira — submission (arm-triangle choke), R2, 3:17.
• Aljamain Sterling def. TJ Dillashaw — TKO (punches), R2, 3:44.
• Sean O’Malley def. Petr Yan — split decision, R3, 5:00.
• Beneil Dariush def. Mateusz Gamrot — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Manon Fiorot def. Katlyn Chookagian — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Belal Muhammad def. Sean Brady — TKO (punches), R2, 4:47.
• Caio Borralho def. Makhmud Muradov — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Nikita Krylov def. Volkan Oezdemir — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Abubakar Nurmagomedov def. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Armen Petrosyan def. AJ Dobson — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Muhammad Mokaev def. Malcolm Gordon — submission (armbar), R3, 4:26.
• Karol Rosa def. Lina Länsberg — majority decision, R3, 5:00.

Sources

UFC 280 official results; UFC 280 official scorecards.

Article Tags

UFC, UFC 280, Mixed Martial Arts