Islam Makhachev dominated Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 280 to capture the vacant lightweight crown. The pay-per-view card took place on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Makhachev made good on his promise to handle the Brazilian with ease. In the opening frame, Makhacev took Oliveira down – a scenario that the former champion seemingly welcomed. Round one ended with Makhachev on top and Oliveira showcasing his tremendous ground defense.
But ‘do Bronx’ was in for a rude awakening in round two. As the former champ leapt for a flying knee, Makhachev caught him with a grazing left followed by a powerful right. Oliveira went crashing onto the ground and the Dagestani pounced on him, locking in an arm triangle to secure the submission win.
In the co-main event, Aljamain Sterling defended his UFC bantamweight title against an injured T.J. Dillashaw. During the broadcast, the commentators revealed that Dillashaw suffered a shoulder dislocation prior to the bout.
The former bantamweight champ soldiered through, nonetheless, and was punished for his grit. Sterling mercilessly brutalized Dillashaw until referee Marc Goddard was forced to stop the fight at the 3:44 mark of the second round.
In a highly-anticipated UFC bantamweight clash, Sean O’Malley aced a split decision win against Petr Yan. The 135-pound contenders bloodied and battered each other over the course of three rounds. Ultimately, the two judges scored the bout in favor of O’Malley 29-28 – a decision fans and fighters alike were highly critical of.
Beneil Dariush cemented his status as one of the best fighters in the UFC lightweight division. The 33-year-old outclassed fellow top contender Mateusz Gamrot to earn a decisive unanimous decision win.
The UFC 280 main card kicked off with a showdown in the women’s flyweight division. After three hard-fought rounds, Manon Fiorot secured a unanimous decision win over Katlyn Chookagian.
UFC 280 full card results
Main Card
Islam Makhachev def. Charles Oliveira via second-round submission (head and arm choke)
Aljamain Sterling (c) def. TJ Dillashaw via second-round TKO (punches)
Sean O’Malley def. Petr Yan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Beneil Dariush def. Matuesz Gamrot via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Manon Fiorot def. Katlyn Chookagian via unanimous (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Bout
Belal Muhammad def. Sean Brady via second-round TKO (punches)
Caio Borralho def. Makhmud Muradov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Nikita Krylov def. Volkan Oezdemir via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Abubakar Nurmagomedov def. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Armen Petrosyan def. A.J. Dobson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Muhammad Mokaev def. Malcolm Gordon via third-round submission (armbar)
Karol Rosa def. Lina Lansberg via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
