Islam Makhachev scored one of the biggest wins in recent MMA history at UFC 280, submitting Charles Oliveira in the second round to claim the vacant lightweight championship.
Makhachev won all areas of the fight from the opening bell, landing good kicks and scoring a quick takedown. Oliveira, the UFC’s all-time leader in submission wins, threatened a few submission attempts but failed to lock anything down due to Makhachev’s superior positioning.
Makhachev also landed a few punches in the opening frame that seemed to rock Oliveira. The same would happen in the second round, but this time Makhachev did not allow Oliveira to survive.
After a right hand sent Oliveira to the canvas, Makhachev followed and quickly locked in an arm-triangle choke that forced Oliveira to tap out at 3:16 of the second set.
Makhachev did what every recent Oliveira opponent has failed to do. Oliveira had been rocked in many of his recent fights but always managed to find a way to turn the tide and claim victory. This ability to survive in the wrong places led Oliveira to claim the lightweight belt in December 2021 with a TKO victory over Michael Chandler and a successful defense against Dustin Poirier.
In his last outing, Oliveira turned things around again after an initial scare, submitting Justin Gaethje. However, Oliveira lost the title before this fight, having missed weight for the fight, leaving the belt vacant for the fight with Makhachev.
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The threat of Makhachev takedowns led to Oliveira throwing fewer strikes than normal and allowing Makhachev to win the punch exchanges before submitting one of the most dangerous ground fighters in the history of the UFC.
After the fight, Makhachev, along with trainer and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, called featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski to the ring with an official challenge to face him for the lightweight belt in Australia. Volkanovski accepted the challenge before the two champions shook hands.
Makhachev has now won 11 straight fights since his only career loss, a 2015 TKO loss to Adriano Martins. The title victory fulfilled a guarantee from Nurmagomedov’s late father, Abdulmanap, who once said that after his son’s retirement, it would be Makhachev who would become the best 155-pound fighter in the sport.
CBS Sports was with you the whole way Saturday bringing you all the results and highlights from UFC 280 below.
UFC 280 card and results
- Islam Makhachev won. Charles Oliveira via second-round submission (head and arm choke)
- Aljamain Sterling (c) beats. TJ Dillashaw via second-round TKO (punches)
- Sean O’Malley beats. petr yan by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Beneil Dariush defeated. Matuesz Gamrot via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Manon Fiorot defeated. Katlyn Chookagian via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Belal Muhammad won. Sean Brady via second-round TKO (punches)
- Caio Borralho defeated. Makhmud Muradov by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Nikita Krylov defeated. Volkan Oezdemir via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Abubakar Nurmagomedov defeated. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Armen Petrosyan defeats. AJ Dobson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Muhammad Mokaev defeats. Malcolm Gordon via third-round submission (armbar)
- Karol Rosa beats. Lina Lansberg by majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
