UFC 280 “Makhachev Vs Oliveira” + Weekly MMA Report
UFC Vegas 62 looked like a very weak card on the piece of paper, but there were many high-level finishes. The main and co-main events of the evening were tactical wars, but many battles brought stoppages and excellent performances.
The Fight of the Night bonus went into the hands of Dusko Todorovic and Jordan Wright. Wright pieced Dusko up in the first round, but Dusko miraculously bounced back in the second and stopped him via TKO from the mount. Both fighters cashed an extra 50k in their bank accounts.
Todorovic drops the hammer 🔨 #UFCVegas62 pic.twitter.com/UNTMaXxlsr
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 16, 2022
Tatsuro Taira submitted his opponent CJ Vergara via great armbar, while Jonathan Martinez scored a fabulous leg kick TKO against Cub Swanson. Both Octagon warriors scored Performance of the Night awards.
SLICK armbar finish for Taira 💪 #UFCVegas62 pic.twitter.com/Aevwzat1TF
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 15, 2022
MARTINEZ WITH A LEG KICK TKO 😱 #UFCVegas62 pic.twitter.com/eOE3COchRR
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 16, 2022
Image source: @UFCBrasil Twitter
There hasn’t been a UFC spectacle for a while, but UFC 280 pay-per-view returns this week with another super-promising show. The promotion travels across the pond to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to the names, this looks like the most powerful UFC fight card in 2022.
The promotion is going to bring some high-level match-ups. The main event of the evening brings the clash of the greatest submission expert with the highest number of submission finishes in the UFC, Charles Oliveira, and a superb wrestling machine Islam Makhachev.
Charles turned the lights out on Michael Chandler thanks to his great mitt punching training sessions, plus his top control defense rocks, this might be his fight.
Prediction: Charles to win (+155)
After a questionable win in his previous bout, Aljamain Sterling will try to defend his strap against powerful left-handed knockout artist TJ Dillashaw. Dillashaw’s control of the space is superb, but Aljo’s lateral moves and angle changes could lead this fight into later rounds.
One way or the other, this fight could last for 5 rounds as both fighters never remain on the central line.
Prediction: TJ to win (+155), or the fight lasts over 4.5 rounds (-195)
And now the fan-favorite bout. Taekwondo kicker and the master of long-range fighting and step-drag forward and backward, Sean O’Malley, meets the dangerous Russian puncher and pressure fighter Petr Yan.
Yan spends hours in the gym and he never backs down, but O’Malley’s circling and fighting on the outside could give him a hard time. Yet, Yan’s cardio is on point, he shouldn’t have a hard time against O’Malley.
Prediction: Yan to win (-280)
Please take a look at the whole fight card below.
Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 2 PM ET, 7 PM UK time)
UFC Lightweight Championship: Charles Oliveira (33-8-0) vs. Islam Makhachev (22-1-0)
UFC Bantamweight Championship: Aljamain Sterling (21-3-0) vs. T.J. Dillashaw (17-4-0)
Bantamweight: Petr Yan (16-3-0) vs. Sean O’Malley (15-1-0)
Lightweight: Beneil Dariush (21-4-1) vs. Mateusz Gamrot (21-1-0)
Flyweight: Katlyn Chookagian (18-4-0) vs. Manon Fiorot (9-1-0)
Preliminary Card (ESPNews, ESPN+, UFC On Fight Pass, 10 AM ET, 3 PM UK time)
Welterweight: Belal Muhammad (21-3-0) vs. Sean Brady (15-0-0)
Middleweight: Makhmud Muradov (25-7-0) vs. Caio Borralho (12-1-0)
Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir (18-6-0) vs. Nikita Krylov (28-9-0)
Featherweight: Zubaira Tukhugov (20-5-1) vs. Lucas Almeida (14-1-0)
Lightweight: Yamato Nishikawa (21-3-6) vs. Magomed Mustafaev (14-4-0)
Welterweight: Abubakar Nurmagomedov (16-3-1) vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (13-1-0)
Middleweight: Armen Petrosyan (6-2-0) vs. AJ Dobson (6-1-0)
Flyweight: Muhammad Mokaev (7-0-0) vs. Malcolm Gordon (14-5-0)
Bantamweight: Lina Länsberg (10-6-0) vs. Karol Rosa (15-4-0)
Here are my predictions for the upcoming UFC 280 fight card:
Please don’t forget to sit next to your TV/laptop at 10 PM ET (3 PM UK time) on Saturday and enjoy the greatest event this year!
[…] UFC 280 PPV was one of the most stacked cards in the history of the promotion. Interestingly, there haven’t been many finishes, but the card was stacked with the upsets. I am not talking about favorites and underdogs, I am focusing on methods of victory. […]