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When Khabib Nurmagomedov vacated the UFC’s lightweight championship and retired from mixed martial arts two years ago, the sport’s expectations turned to his longtime teammate and protégé, Islam Makhachev. And now his time has come.
Makhachev (22-1) will attempt to win the UFC’s 155-pound title on Saturday when he meets Charles Oliveira (33-8) in the main event of UFC 280 inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The pay-per-view airs at a special time of 2 p.m. ET.
The timing of the matchup probably couldn’t be any better. Makhachev was always expected to fight for the belt at some point, and he will now do so against a foe in Oliveira whom no one wants to bet against. Oliveira has battled through adversity in each of his three title defenses against Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje before earning a finish.
The Brazilian fighter has won 11 in a row, securing 10 finishes in the process. The only reason he is not technically the lightweight champion this week is that he missed weight by one-half pound ahead of his most recent win against Gaethje in May.
In addition to the main event, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (21-3) will defend his title against TJ Dillashaw (17-4), who surrendered it in 2019 after he tested positive for a banned substance. And fan favorite Sean O’Malley (15-1) will face the biggest test of his career in Petr Yan (16-3).
Follow along as Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim recap the fights as they happen, or watch the card live on ESPN+ PPV.
Fight in progress: Men’s flyweight: Malcolm Gordon (14-5, 2-2 UFC, +750) vs. Muhammad Mokaev (8-0, 2-0 UFC, -1200)
Results:
Women’s bantamweight: Karol Rosa (16-4, 5-1 UFC) def. Lina Lansberg (10-7, 4-6 UFC) by majority decision
Rosa absorbed a hard right hand to the face in the fight’s opening minute — and it contributed to her winning the bout. The 27-year-old from Brazil, who came into the fight with twice as many knockout wins as submissions, took the fight to the canvas shortly after being stung by that punch from Lansberg, a two-time Muay Thai world champion and multiple-time medalist.
Rosa immediately recognized that getting away from standup fighting was her smartest route to victory. And that’s what Rosa proceeded to do, taking down Lansberg three times over the first two rounds to control the bout and win for the seventh time in her last eight fights (29-27, 29-27, 28-28). Rosa had a point deducted in Round 2 for a knee to the face of her grounded opponent.
Lansberg, who is 40 years old and from Sweden, has lost three fights in a row.
Still to come:
Lightweight championship: Charles Oliveira (33-8 1 NC, 21-8 1 NC UFC, +160) vs. Islam Makhachev (22-1, 11-1 UFC, -190)
Men’s bantamweight championship: Aljamain Sterling (c) (21-3, 13-3 UFC, -165) vs. TJ Dillashaw (18-4, 13-4 UFC, +140)
Men’s bantamweight: Petr Yan (16-3, 8-2 UFC, -280) vs. Sean O’Malley (15-1 1 NC, 7-1 1 NC UFC, +230)
Lightweight: Beneil Dariush (21-4-1, 15-4-1 UFC, +170) vs. Mateusz Gamrot (21-1, 4-1 UFC, -200)
Women’s flyweight: Katlyn Chookagian (18-4, 11-4 UFC, +175) vs. Manon Fiorot (9-1, 4-0 UFC, -210)
Welterweight: Belal Muhammad (21-3 1 NC, 12-1 1 NC UFC, +120) vs. Sean Brady (15-0, 5-0 UFC, -140)
Middleweight: Makhmud Muradov (25-7,3-1 UFC, +170) vs. Caio Borralho (12-1, 2-0 UFC, -200)
Light heavyweight: Nikita Krylov (28-9, 9-7 UFC, -170) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (18-6, 6-5 UFC, +145)
Welterweight: Abubakar Nurmagomedov (16-3-1, 1-1 UFC, -165) vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (13-1, 0-1 UFC, +140)
Middleweight: Armen Petrosyan (7-2, 1-1 UFC, -220) vs. AJ Dobson (6-1, 0-1 UFC, +180)
(c) = defending champion
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