The UFC will return to Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates this weekend for an absolutely stacked card including two championship fights. It is sure to be an exciting night filled with explosive moments that will have UFC fans jumping out of their seats.
The lightweight championship will be on the line as the dominant champ will finally face off against the long-coming blue chip prospect who has burst onto the scene. Plus, the bantamweight crown will be up for grabs as one of the best ever returns to try and take it back while the current champ look to fight him off and a matchup of contenders in the same class could determine who is next.
Bantamweight bout: Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley
The UFC’s bantamweight division has quickly become one of the most stacked in the sport, with talent up and down the top 15. This contest sees the top-ranked contender, Yan, trying to earn himself another shot at the title after losing his previous opportunity by a split decision. Yan comes in with a very impressive 16-3 record. Two of those losses have come against current bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling and one of those was due to an illegal knee. He also possesses some serious power in his hands, coming in with seven career knockouts. He’s a matchup problem for most guys in this class as he is a very strong striker.
That being said, his opponent is perhaps the most confident and charismatic striker the UFC has to offer. O’Malley has been on a roll and has quickly become a crowd favorite, winning three of his last four outings by knockout. His most recent bout was unfortunately stopped and ruled a no contest due to an accidental eye poke, but he had been winning the fight up to that point. O’Malley is an incredible athlete and uses that skill to throw an unorthodox style of striking at his opponent. This is going to be a very interesting fight and should be a lot of fun as both guys like to stand and bang.
My pick: Yan via decision
Bantamweight championship bout: Aljamain Sterling vs. TJ Dillashaw
The MMA community has been sleeping on Sterling a bit it seems. The bantamweight champ has quietly won seven in a row and hasn’t lost a fight since 2017. In that time, he has defeated contender like Yan, Cory Sandhagen and Pedro Munhoz. He also boasts a 21-3 overall record with eight wins by submission. Sterling is certainly one of the best the sport has to offer and he continues to show us that every time out without much recognition.
His opponent this time around though has also been considered one of the best in the sport. Dillashaw has held the bantamweight crown twice already and now he’s going to look to become a tree-time champ. The Ultimate Fighter alum is 17-4, winning four of his last five with about a two and a half year break in there. He’s one of the best wrestlers in the sport, which makes for an interesting stylistic matchup as that plays right into Sterling’s strength. However, Dillashaw is also a creative striker and he may have the advantage on the feet here if he chooses to keep it standing.
My pick: Sterling via decision
Lightweight championship bout: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev
The UFC’s lightweight division has had some of the greatest champions the sport has ever seen. B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar and Khabib Nurmagomedov are just some of the names that come to mind. Charles Oliveira hopes to some day add his name to that list. This is the next step toward that goal.
Oliveira has been involved in some wildly exciting fights of late. Back and forth battles with Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje have made the champ a fan-favorite and the crowd is surely going to be looking for some fireworks again here. Aside from just being exciting though, Oliveira is also 33-8 and riding an 11-fight winning streak. His last loss came all the way back in 2017. The champ is a prolific grappler who can put anyone to sleep at a moment’s notice. However, he has also developed some serious striking skills, just ask Chandler who lost via TKO. He is going to take some shots and may even wind up on his back, but Oliveira never finds himself out of a fight.
And speaking of never bing out of a fight, Makhachev is riding a 10-fight win streak and hasn’t lost since 2015. Another incredibly strong grappler, the challenger has seen 10 of his 22 wins come by submission. Makhachev simply overwhelms his opponents with his strength and wares them down over the course of the fight until he can break their will. In fact, he is very reminiscent of the aforementioned Nurmagomedov in that way. That will be a tough challenge here though as Oliveira is not so easily broken and is dangerous from any position.
My pick: Oliveira via 4th round submission
UFC 280 will be held Saturday, October 22 at 2 PM ET. Fight fans can order the pay per view through ESPN+ and receive a special offer: $99.98 for UFC 280 and an ESPN+ annual plan. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view for $74.99.