We are now 1 month away from UFC 280. 280 is arguably the most exciting card of the year on paper and it is live on October 22, 2022. The stacked main card includes the likes of Charles Oliveira, Suga Sean, Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw, Aljamain Sterling, Beneil Dariush, Islam Makhachev, and Belal Muhammed. The three fights I am most excited for are: O'Malley v. Yan, Dillashaw v. Sterling, and Oliveira v. Makhachev.
Kicking off the main card, although I'd like it to be the bout before the co-mains will likely be O'Malley v. Yan. This fight is very interesting in my opinion. While most would immediately suspect Petr Yan puts on a masterclass and beats O'Malley via UD, I think O'Malley's frame could cause serious problems for Yan. O'Malley is incredibly long for the 135 weight class and his skills are impeccable. I do think Petr Yan is the more experienced fighter and has the advantage, but Suga Sean's power and length equalizes the fight more than most would like to admit. It will be the most exciting fight of the night from a neutral fan perspective because I assume that we will see a lot of striking. Unless, of course, O'Malley wants to drag Yan into deep water by grappling like Sterling did when they fought. I do think grappling is a hidden feature of Suga's game (but he is a striker at heart). As absurd as it may sound to some, I like O'Malley in this fight.
The co-main also takes place in the bantamweight division, it will be the the 135 title. The controversial TJ Dillashaw makes his return to the octagon against the undisputed champion Aljamain Sterling. Sterling had a dominant performance against Petr Yan, who up until the fight was recognized by fans as the real bantamweight champion. Sterling made fools of a lot of people in the MMA community and I will reluctantly say I was one of them. I thought Yan was going to win in dominant fashion but the opposite happened. Sterling slung Yan around, kept him on the ground, and punished him for 5 rounds. It was a championship performance. In this fight against former champion TJ Dillashaw, Sterling looks to do the same. TJ is a strong wrestler and is well-rounded on the feet, it is likely that Sterling will try to get him to the ground the same way that he did Yan. I do not think it will be as easy for Sterling. This fight will be a fun one and could turn into a fight where wrestlers just decide to scrap and in that type of fight I like Dillashaw. However, it is hard for me to go against Sterling after his last performance. It will be one to watch because the matchup is interesting.
The main event, likely what you clicked on this article for will be intense. It already has the feeling of a big fight. Will we see the reemergence of Khabib in Islam? Or will we see more Oliveira dominance. Although he is one dimensional, Islam Makhachev is an elite fighter. Islam has not fought a ranked fighter. In his last two fights he has fought 2 strikers and has done so with a full camp while his opponents have been on short notice. This does Makhachev a disservice, he has not fought a fighter even close to the skill of Charles Oliveira in a professional bout. He does train with Khabib though, so I will not underestimate him. Oliveira's striking will pose some serious problem for Makhachev so he will likely shoot within the first minute. But even with a crisp takedown, he is on the ground, in the guard of the most notable submission artist in UFC history. Charles Oliveira has been in deep water with his last 3 opponents, but he has crawled back to win in decisive fashion each time with a finish. This fight will be a bit different because the only deep water he can get in against Makhachev is on the ground. Ground and pound or submission is Islam's only path to victory and it is very possible that it could happen, but I think 'Do Bronx' will prove to be too much for Makhachev on October 22.
Although Charles is not technically the champion... he is. The insistance on Charles to fight Makhachev in Abu Dhabi which will be a home fight for Islam is disrespectful by the UFC in my opinion. They could have easily made the fight in Brazil, but the angle is likely if Charles wins he will fight Conor in Brazil. Makhachev has every advantage possible, unfortunately for him, that is when Charles 'Do Bronx' thrives. I cannot wait for October 22, fans around the world will be watching this stacked card.
Written by Joe Gee
Top comments (10)
Charles is going to absolutely nail this. Within 2 rounds he submits Makhachev. He's fired up man, like I've never seen before.
I hope you’re right! Do Bronx is so likable.
Not long of now... One observation.. Do Bronx seems a lot more emotional than Makhachev heading into this, I hope he keeps his head after everything that happened against Gaethje.
This is what I love about MMA v Boxing, Charles has 8 losses on his record and here we are discussing how hard it's going to be for an incredible prospect to beat him.
As far as emotions go I don’t know, Charles was incredibly emotional after missing weight and looked the toughest he has in that Gaethje fight. It will be a fun one for sure, Do Bronx has come a long way!
Who you got here Joe? I have sterling....
Man it’s hard to go against Sterling after his last performance!
Yeah, he's very good, way better than casuals think he is. If TJ can keep it standing though... that will be interesting. TJ is a born winner and Sterling will need to be at his absolute best to hold him off, like Hodor and the White Walkers.. Sterling is going to have to be Jon Snow in GOT to hold on here.
Ahahah I like the GOT analogy.
I’m the same way. The later it goes the more I like Sterling but people forget how much of a killer TJ is at BW.
Stop it Joe, I’m already having a seizure of this event 😂