UFC 280 Preview: Oliveira v Makhachev
UFC 280 sees Charles Oliveira (33-8-0) take on Islam Makhachev (22-1-0) for the vacant UFC Lightweight Title in a bumper card, with MMA fans worldwide excited.
Here on the Sports Gazette, we will preview all the big fights and give you our picks for who we think will be the winners and losers this weekend.
Oliveira v Makhachev
The MMA world was shocked when Charles Oliveira was stripped of his lightweight title for missing weight by half a pound back in May.
He still dominated Justin Gaethje winning via Submission in the first round of their fight, meaning the 155-pound title was left vacant.
The Brazillian is now on an 11-fight win streak, the largest in the UFC, and has the promotion’s most finishes (19) and most submissions (16).
Hence, any fighter would likely be the underdog walking into the cage against ‘Du Bronx’ right now.
Islam Makhachev is not ‘any fighter’, however. The Dagestani man is from the Khabib Nurmagomedov school of wrestling and has been running through the lightweight division for the past seven years, finally getting his shot at the title.
Makhachev is on a 10-fight win streak, during which he has two first-round finishes, including his last two fights, which ended in a Kimura against Dan Hooker and a TKO against Bobby Green.
This fight is so intriguing because of the tactical battle that will undoubtedly take place.
Oliveira is arguably the greatest Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) fighter to enter the octagon, and Makhachev has almost the same wrestling skill as his coach, Khabib.
Therefore, the differentiator will likely be on the feet, where both fighters have vastly improved recently.
Having said this, comparing resumes, ‘Du Bronx’ has a slight edge when dealing with stand-up fighters, including victories over Gaethje, Dustin Poirer and Michael Chandler.
For that reason, I would give the edge to Oliveira on the night. However, Makhachev has every chance in the fight.
Aljamain Sterling v T.J. Dillashaw
The co-main event at UFC 280 is the bantamweight title clash, where Aljamain Sterling (21-3-0) will defend his belt against the disgraced T.J. Dillashaw (18-4-0) at 135lbs.
Dillashaw, now 36, was banned by the UFC in 2019 for two years following a positive test for a banned substance known as EPO.
Since then, Dillashaw has returned to the UFC and narrowly defeated Cory Sandhagen in a split decision at UFC Fight Night in Vegas last summer.
Now, he faces a somewhat ‘false king’ in Aljamain Sterling, who has also had his fair share of issues with the UFC. The Jamaican- American won his belt at UFC 259 via disqualification when former champion Peter Yan was adjudged to have used an illegal knee.
The UFC 273 rematch saw Sterling win by the narrowest of split decisions, leading to public outrage and UFC President Dana White lambasting the judges for “blowing” the final verdict.
Sterling against Dillashaw is an intriguing matchup. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu meets wrestling, and controversy meets corruption.
Sterling will be looking to cement his status as champion without any added flaws to discredit him. Dillashaw will be looking for retribution and forgiveness as his comeback trail looks to gain some serious momentum.
Petr Yan v Sean O’Malley
Petr Yan (16-3-0) vs Sean O’Malley (15-1-0) is arguably the most intriguing fight on this card.
O’Malley is clearly a top talent, but many feel Yan is a step too far. ‘Sugar Sean’s’ two top 10 fights have been inconclusive.
The American’s loss to Marlon Vera was severely affected by blowing his ACL mid-fight, and his recent fight with Pedro Munhoz was stopped due to accidental eye pokes. Thus, it’s hard to claim that O’Malley is one of the best Bantamweights in the world.
With Petr Yan, however, there is no debate. The Russian has wins over Uriah Faber, Jose Aldo and Cory Sandhagen on his resume.
He was also close to victory over Champion Aljamain Sterling before his illegal knee brought an end to the fight in the fourth round.
Yan is a tremendous striker and can pressure opponents with his relentless pace. O’Malley is dangerous on the feet and is long and tall for the division. He will look to keep this fight at his length, standing up.
Dana White has promised a title fight to the victor just to add a little more spice to this matchup.
O’Malley must use his jab and footwork to control this fight. Yan can counter this with leg kicks, and I see his experience giving him the edge in this fight.
Dariush v Gamrot
The second fight on the main card sees Beniel Dariush take on Mateusz Gamrot (21-1) in a 155-pound scrap. =
Dariush is slowly climbing his way up the UFC lightweight ladder. The Iranian-born American is on a seven-fight win streak, having picked up the scalp of Tony Ferguson last time out. Whilst having a very accomplished jiu-jitsu background,
Dariush has developed his overall craft in the last four years. In his last four fights, he has delivered two devastating knockouts. However, Dariush hasn’t fought since May 2021 after pulling out of his scheduled fight with Islam Makhachev in February, so it’ll be interesting to see if there is any ring rust.
Gamrot does not have such an issue.
The Polish-born wrestler recently had a close decision win over Arman Tsarukyan in a highly technical bout. Like Dariush, Gamrot has started to round out his striking abilities, having also knocked out two of his last four opponents.
After a slow start to his UFC career, picking up a loss on his debut, Gamrot has won four in a row and is closing in on a top-five ranking.
The winner of this will likely enter the top five of the lightweight rankings, albeit still needing one or two more wins to gain a shot at 155-pound gold.
Chookagian v Fiorot
To Kick off the night’s main card Katlyn Chookagian (18-4) fight Manon Fiorot (9-1) at 125-pounds.
Chookagian is the ‘nearly woman’ in the flyweight division. So often has she fought her way up the rankings, only to be denied at the sport’s elite.
Despite her setbacks at the top level, Chookgian is currently on a four-fight win streak at ranked no.1 going into this fight.
The American also has a habit of hearing the final bell, as 15 of her 18 wins have been via decision. Having started training in karate at age four, Chookagian is now a veteran of the sport, making her UFC debut in 2016.
Unlike her opponent this weekend. The French-born flyweight has made quite an impression since her UFC debut in January 2021, having won six of her nine wins by knockout.
Fiorot picked up a wide range of skills before her professional MMA debut loss to now Bellator featherweight Leah McCourt. This includes competing in kickboxing, Muay Thai and even snowboarding championships.
This has the potential to be a passing of the torch fight with Fiorot in fine form, but Chookagian will surely have something to say about that.
Picks
Alex: Oliveira, Sterling, O’Malley, Gamrot, Chookagian
George: Makhachev, Dillashaw, Yan, Gamrot, Chookagian
Conor: Oliveira, Dillashaw, Yan, Dariush, Chookagian
Andrew: Oliveira, Sterling, Yan, Gamrot, Chookagian
