Islam Makhachev Defeats Charles Oliveira to Capture Lightweight Title at UFC 280

Heading back to the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the UFC recently held its UFC 280 event headlined by Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev for the vacant UFC Lightweight championship. Despite being confident in reclaiming the title he lost due to a missed weight controversy at UFC 274, Makhachev secured an arm-triangle choke on the ex-champion in Round 2.

Aside from landing a submission win over the UFC’s submission leader, the victory was also special as it occurred in the same arena his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, retired in. Additionally, Islam Makhachev gave his championship belt to Nurmagomedov and dedicated the fight to his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

In the co-main event, Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling bested former champion T.J. Dillashaw with ground strikes in Round 2. Dillashaw was determined but an injury would result in his shoulder dislocating in the first round, hindering his ability to resist the champion. The main event card was rounded up by Sean O’Malley‘s shocking defeat of former Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan via a split decision after three rounds.

Catch Islam Makhachev’s post-fight interview following his win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 above.