UFC 280, one of the UFC's best pay-per-views of the year so far, goes down this Saturday. It will be the promotion's first event in Abu Dhabi—the site of the famous Fight Island—since this time last year, and the line-up is suitably stacked for the occasion.
All the information you need to watch UFC 280: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev on Saturday, Oct. 15, can be found here.
- Event: UFC 280: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022
- Start Time: Prelims begin at 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT; Main card begins at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT
- Venue: Etihad Arena
- Location: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Main Card Broadcast: ESPN+ PPV
- Prelims Broadcast: ESPN+/ESPNEWS
UFC 280 Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT)
Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev – Lightweight title
Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw – Bantamweight title
Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley
Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Manon Fiorot
UFC Vegas 62 Preliminary Card (ESPN+/ESPNEWS, 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT)
Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Brady
Makhmud Muradov vs. Caio Borralho
Volkan Oezdemir vs. Nikita Krylov
Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Lucas Almeida
Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
Armen Petrosyan vs. AJ Dobson
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Malcolm Gordon
Lina Länsberg vs. Karol Rosa
Headlining honours will go to a lightweight title fight between Brazil's Charles Oliveira and Russia's Islam Makhachev. Oliveira was the champion until May, when he missed weight for a fight with Justin Gaethje and was stripped of the title as a consequence. He won that fight by second-round submission, positioning himself to fight for the belt he never actually lost. Makhachev, the star protégé of lightweight great Khabib Nurmagomedov, earned his opportunity to fight for the vacant throne with 10-straight wins in the Octagon, including recent beatdowns of Bobby Green and Dan Hooker.
The co-main event spot will also go to a title fight, as bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling defends his belt against TJ Dillashaw, who was himself the champion until he was ousted for failing a drug test.
The middle fight of the main card will also occur at bantamweight, where rising star Sean O'Malley will take a massive step up in competition against former champion Petr Yan. All signs point to the winner getting the next shot at the belt—whomever holds it after the co-main event.
Before the bantamweights get to work, No. 6 lightweight contender Beneil Dariush will risk his spot against former KSW champ Mateusz Gamrot, the division's No. 9-ranked contender. This fight looked like a title eliminator until news surfaced that featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski will probably get the next crack at the lightweight belt.
A flyweight fight between No. 1-ranked contender Katlyn Chookagian—the last stop before a fight with champ Valentina Shevchenko—and sixth-ranked Manon Fiorot will kick off the main card. Fiorot has long looked like a future title challenger and this fight will tell us if she's ready.
It's a card full of excellent match-ups with major implications, and all of them look like they could go either way. Keep scrolling to see who the B/R combat sports squad is picking to leave Abu Dhabi victorious.