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It was an electric night of action inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, as expected, as UFC 280 exceeded all expectations.
From the opening bout to the climactic main event, it was a special night inside the Octagon.
Here’s a look at what transpired. | Official Scorecards
Islam Makhachev is your new UFC lightweight champion!
The Russian standout dominated Charles Oliveira, controlling the action throughout the first round before dropping the Brazilian with a left hand, following him to the canvas, and securing the choke. As soon as he stepped out of half-guard, Oliveira tapped.
This was an absolutely blistering effort from the newly minted champion, who has now won 11 straight, answering any questions people had about his ability to compete with the elite talent in the lightweight division.
The champion has a name and it is Islam Makhachev. | Official Scorecards
Aljamain Sterling remains the UFC bantamweight champion, securing a second-round stoppage win over two-time champ TJ Dillashaw in the UFC 280 co-main event.
Sterling dominated, driving Dillashaw to the canvas almost immediately, at which point it appeared that the challenger dislocated his shoulder. The champion continued to control the first, nearly getting Dillashaw out of there, and secured the stoppage the finish in the second, pounding out the stoppage late in the frame.
That’s not consecutive success title defenses for Sterling and seven-straight victories overall for “The Funkmaster,” who moves to 21-3 overall with the win. | Official Scorecards
This was an absolutely phenomenal contest that not only answered every question that lingered about Sean O’Malley, but showed once again the quality of Petr Yan, with “Suga” earning the split decision victory.
O’Malley delivered an outstanding performance, hurting Yan in the first and cutting him with a big knee in the third, while the former champion constantly made adjustments and had long stretches where he controlled the action. It was an incredible back-and-forth where each man needed to dig deep and find ways to be successful, and each did that many times over throughout the contest.
This is a massive victory for O’Malley, who is now unbeaten in his last five and takes a gigantic step forward in the bantamweight division. As for Yan, he’s in an odd position, having gone 1-3 over his last four fights, with the victory earning him the interim title and all three of the setbacks being close, debated contests.
High drama and tremendous theatre; you couldn’t ask for more. | Official Scorecards
What an outstanding fight!
For 15 minutes, Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot engaged in a tense, captivating cat-and-mouse contest, each showing just how high caliber they are inside the cage, with Dariush coming away with the unanimous decision victory.
Dariush did an exceptional job of finding counters and working over the final two rounds to avoid getting into extended grappling exchanges, stinging Gamrot with big left hands and dropping him in the third. After missing out on an opportunity to face Islam Makhachev in February, this is a tremendous effort to keep his winning streak intact.
That’s eight straight victories for Dariush, who will be watching the main event closing, having been scheduled to face each of the combatants in the past and brandishing the longest active winning streak in the division outside of those two men. | Official Scorecards
Manon Fiorot continued her forward march in the flyweight division, earning a unanimous decision win over division mainstay Katlyn Chookagian.
The surging French fighter landed the more impactful blows in the first and second rounds, matching the perennial contender in terms of output over the opening 10 minutes before slowing just a little in the third. Now 5-0 inside the Octagon and brandishing a 10-fight winning streak, Fiorot joins Alexa Grasso at the top of the list of potential contenders in the 125-pound weight class, where Valentina Shevchenko reigns supreme.
Beating Chookagian is a tough task and this is an outstanding victory for “The Beast,” who has now earned a pair of UFC victories in Abu Dhabi. | Official Scorecards
What a performance from Belal Muhammad!
The surging welterweight contender continued his push towards the top of the division, bouncing Sean Brady from the ranks of the unbeaten with a second-round stoppage win in Saturday’s final preliminary card fight.
After running fairly close to level for the opening stanza, Muhammad’s relentless forward pressure and constant work started taking its toll on Brady. A right hand seemed to daze Brady as the two battled along the fence late in the frame, and from there, Muhammad cranked up the pressure and got him out of there.
This was a high risk assignment for the higher-ranked Muhammad and he absolutely smashed it. That's four straight wins and a nine-fight unbeaten streak for the Chicagoland native, and should net him a massive opportunity next time out. | Official Scorecards
Caio Borralho remained unbeaten inside the Octagon, securing his third win of the year with a hard-fought victory over Makhmud Muradov.
This was a step up in competition for Borralho after defeating a pair of fellow Dana White's Contender Series graduates in his first two outings, and he handled it well, using his superior grappling to put himself in position to control the action. While Muradov had his moments, Borralho did well to force the action to where he was most comfortable and able to control things.
Now 13-1 overall and 3-0 in the UFC, Borralho has clearly established himself as one of the best from last year's DWCS graduating class and someone to continue keeping tabs on in the middleweight divison. He’s now won 10 straight overall and should get another step up in competition next time out. | Official Scorecards
The light heavyweights didn't waste any time getting after it, coming out of the chute swinging and looking to end the fight early.
Krylov looked to sting Oezdemir in the second half of the opening round and eventually dragged him to the canvas, looking to find a choke from the back. The former title challenger defended well, but it was a telling moment in the bout, as Krylov continued to press forward in search of takedowns each time he was able to have success on the feet.
The second and third were mirror images, with Krylov marching down Oezdemir, putting his shoulders on the canvas and keeping him there for the majority of each round.
This was a solid overall showing from Krylov, who is still only 30 years old, yet picks up the 29th win of his career with this victory. | Official Scorecards
The clash between Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev played out as expected initially, with the two doing a great deal of grappling over the course of the first two rounds before the final stanza became a war of attrition and fatigued striking. When the scores were tallied, Nurmagomedov emerged victorious, sweeping the scorecards to wrap up his second consecutive victory.
The strong elements of Nurmagomedov’s game — his top game, his jab, his scrambling abilities — were too much for Omargadzhiev to deal with, as the more seasoned fighter was able to find his spots and secure the win.
After dropping his promotional debut, Nurmagomedov has now secured decision wins in each of his last two outings, moving to 17-3-1 with the win, while Omargadzhiev falls to 0-2 in the UFC and 13-2 overall. | Official Scorecards
Armen Petrosyan got the better of things in his battle of Dana White’s Contender Series graduates with AJ Dobson on Saturday, outworking and outlining his fellow Class of ’21 member.
Petrosyan was the more active of the two over all three rounds, throwing and landing with greater volume and efficiency than Dobson, who was largely throwing singles. While the Armenian was sporting a small cut on his brow line and one below his eye, he was clearly the more effective fighter of the two throughout, and the judges all agreed.
Now 2-1 in UFC and 7-2 overall, this victory establishes Petrosyan as a solid competitor in the thick of the middleweight division, while Dobson falls to 0-2 inside the Octagon. | Official Scorecards
There were some challenging moments mixed in along the way, but Muhammad Mokaev worked his way through it and remained undefeated, securing a third-round submission win over Malcolm Gordon.
The highly touted prospect wrestled well in the first, ran into some dicy moments in the second where the Canadian veteran showed his skills on the ground, and then took control in the third, working to find the arm and secure the tap.
Just 22 years old and now 8-0 in his pro career, Mokaev remains one of the most intriguing prospects in the sport, even if this fight showed there is still some growing and developing for “The Punisher” to do going forward. | Official Scorecards
The bantamweights got the action started in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, delivering an entertaining start to the day’s slate.
Despite a point deduction in the second round for an illegal knee while Lansberg down along the fence, Rosa emerged with a majority decision victory. The Brazilian was able to drag the fight to the floor in the opening two stanzas and get the better of the striking exchanges in the third to collect the win.
This was a solid rebound win for Rosa, who suffered her first UFC loss last time out. Now 5-1 inside the Octagon, the 27-year-old should get another Top 10 opponent next time out. | Official Scorecards
UFC 280: Oliveira vs Makhachev took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 22, 2022. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!