UFC 280: The Card of The Year

This Saturday the UFC returns to Fight Island for their 14th event on Yas Island to showcase a card that almost seemed too good to be true when originally announced. UFC 280 holds the dream line up of a modern day mixed martial arts fan, stacked from top to bottom with the names of Suga Sean O’Malley, TJ Dillashaw, prospect Muhammed Mokaev, Charles ‘Do Bronxs’ Oliveira and more.

Let’s begin with the two men whom this card was built around, Islam Makhachev and former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. Not only is this fight incredible when looked at from a stylistic standpoint, it also holds quite the storyline. Combat Sambo world champion Islam Makhachev made his UFC debut in 2015 following an 11 fight win streak outside of the promotion. Formally coached by the late father of the man that many believe to be the GOAT of the lightweight division, Khabib Nurmogomedov, Islam is known for his dominance and ability to implement his game plan on each opponent he faces. Out of his 23 professional fights, Islam only has 1 loss. Oliveria on the other hand, made his UFC debut in 2010, beginning a journey with the promotion that was anything but easy with his first professional loss coming just months after his debut. Oliveira went on to lose a fight against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, pick up two wins, and then lose another two. This became a pattern for Charles up until 2018, when he joined his current team at Chute Boxe, a brazilian gym with the likes of Cris Cyborg and Anderson Silva. Since his last loss to Paul Felder, Charles has gone on to win his 11 fights, with a majority of the wins being against top 5 opponents in the lightweight division. At UFC 262 in 2021, Oliveira was matched up with Bellator star and NCAA wrestler Michael Chandler, Charles fought a hard first round with Chandler and went on to finish him via TKO in the beginning of the second round to capture lightweight gold. Although Charles has continued to beat his opponents, his championship reign has not been without drama, losing his belt due to weighing in .5 pounds over in his last match up with Justin Gaethje. Oliveira is a threat anywhere this fight goes, he is a black belt in BJJ and as a lengthier fighter for the division, he continues to evolve his striking and use his build to his advantage. Islam is spectacular at sticking to his game plan by shooting for the double, dragging his opponents to the cage and suffocating them with pressure and ground and pound. This fight will be a beautiful showing of mixed martial arts. I see Charles with the slight advantage on the feet, and Islam with the slight advantage on the ground. Islam is the bigger fighter, possibly stronger. Charles is the longer fighter, with more experience facing adversity and finding a path to victory. I believe that the momentum Charles has had these last 4 years will continue. I am taking the former champion via TKO/KO. Don’t blink in this one!

Next let’s talk about rising star Suga Sean O’Malley versus the former bantamweight champion Petr Yan. This fight is another stylistic dream for a mixed martial arts fan, both men are talented strikers with a will to win. Sean O’Malley made his UFC debut in 2017 after securing a contract on the first season of Dana White’s contender series, he is currently on a 3 fight win streak with his only loss in the promotion being to Chito Vera, a now top 5 bantamweight who is in talks for the next possible title shot. O’Malley is a lengthy fighter for the division, standing at almost 6 feet tall with a reach of 72”. His ability to stay at range and tricky way of mixing up his striking is what has secured him 9 first round knockouts. For a long time Suga was doubted by fans for taking the slow route in the UFC and fighting opponents that were seemingly not on the same level as him, with his last fight being against #8 ranked Pedro Munhoz and ending via no contest due to an eye poke in the second round, many of those doubters have continued to ask the same question.. Will Sean be able to implement his game plan against higher competition? Petr Yan made his UFC debut in 2018 against Teruto Ishihara and went on to compile a 6 fight win streak in the promotion, capturing the vacant Bantamweight belt against the legend Jose Aldo in July of 2020. Yan’s championship reign did not last long, losing his belt due to an illegal knee in his first title defense against the current champion and fellow fighter on this card, Aljamain Sterling. Yan is the shorter fighter standing at 5’ 7” with a reach of 67’’, but he does not let that get in the way of him getting in the pocket of his opponents and using his technical striking abilities to his advantage. Petr has 7 wins via knockout and 8 decisions, he is known for putting on a striking masterclass almost every time he is in the cage. I expect this fight to stay on the feet, with both men rarely shooting for a takedown in their previous bouts. I believe that Petr has the more technical approach when it comes to striking, keeping his guard high and tight and intentionally picking each shot that he throws. O’Malley has the gift of using his length to his advantage, throwing unpredictable shots and staying just out of range to avoid taking too much damage from his opponents. This is one of those fights that I would love to see 5 rounds. Ultimately, I predict that these two will get to it right away, I think we will see a beautiful war between two strikers with a different approach to their game. I predict that Petr’s technical skill will give him the edge in this fight as long as he can find his spot in the pocket with Sean O’Malley and turn on the pressure when needed. I’m taking Petr by decision.

Lastly, we’re going to talk about the matchup on the prelims that could serve as a fight night main event itself.. Sean Brady versus Belal Muhammad. Yet again, we have a perfect stylistic match up here. Belal Muhammad has been in the UFC for quite some time now, making his debut in 2016. Since his loss to Geoff Neal in 2019 he has gone on to sneakily compile a 7 fight win streak. Belal is a well rounded fighter, he uses the clinch along with kicks, punches to the body and crispy combinations to tire his opponents out and typically win his fights via unanimous decision. Brady on the other hand, isn’t so much of a striker but he is rumored to be one of the strongest guys coming out of the wrestling focused Renzo Gracie Philly gym. Brady is coming into this bout with an undefeated record of 15-0, making his debut in 2019. While I believe that Sean has the massive advantage when it comes to wrestling, Belal has the advantage on the feet, making this quite the interesting matchup when looking at it on paper. I believe we are going to see Brady shoot for a takedown early in the first round, but with Belal’s takedown defense average sitting at a strong 91%, I am not sure that Brady will be able to secure the takedown without possibly tiring himself out. Belal has been on a roll lately and seems to be taking advantage of the momentum by continuously staying disciplined and implementing his game plan flawlessly. I expect to see a tiring fight between these two, but I ultimately think that Belal will continue to ride this wave and edge out the decision against the prospect Sean Brady.

Although we’ve only covered 3 bouts here, the entire card is filled with fights that could easily headline a fight night. Regardless of the outcomes of 280, this will be an unforgettable pay per view.

Prediction:
Charles Oliveira via KO/TKO / Petr Yan via Decision / Belal Muhammad via Decision
(Please note: This prediction is not associated with the MMAPlay365 packages, subscriptions or services)