On the night of Sunday, 22 October, UFC 280 took place, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, featuring the bantamweight bout of Sean ‘Sugar’ O’Malley and former champion Petr ‘No Mercy’ Yan, the bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling vs T.J. Dillashaw, and the fight for the lightweight championship between Islam Makhachev and former champion Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira.
The first round of the first match saw a more aggressive O’Malley battling a more reflexive Yan, until the latter imposed himself by securing a takedown, that was countered by the first, who also secured a takedown. An even round.
The second round viewed a more dynamic start, with a left hand of the Russian that managed to get some good hits and the upper position on the opponent, that nevertheless continued to fight, attempted a submission and managed to get back on his feet, until a trip by ‘No Mercy’ made him fall again; Petr succeeded in another takedown and finished the match on top of his opponent. This round goes to him.
The last round, in which both fighters bled, saw an intense exchange between the two, especially ‘Sugar’, whom many times took the initiative, but by no means had an easy time, since Petr responded with equal force, putting his adversary against the cage and the mat.
The fight ended by split decision in favour of the American, even though many talk deemed this as a robbery.
The second fight started with a bang, with both fighters instantly trading shots, until a light-speed takedown by the champion, followed by an intense ground and pound session and an attempt of rear-naked choke; a violent assault, stoically resisted by the challenger, that managed to regain the standing position and continued to fight until the end of the round.
The second round seemed a replica of the first, with a rapid exchange of punches and kicks, and a takedown by the Jamaican-American fighter, who controlled the situation on the ground and won the fight, defending his title for the 2nd time and earning his 13th victory in the UFC.
The last match was surely the most awaited.
The lightweight championship on the line: on one side Oliveira, who lost the title not by defeat, but by missing the weight on his previous battle, that he won; on the other side Makhachev, “the second Khabib”, with a streak of 9 wins in UFC, and hunger in his eyes.
“Do Bronx” doesn’t waste one second and instantly attacks the opponent, who respond just as quickly, and manages to bring on the ground the Brazilian, but by no means earns the upper hand, given the experience of his opponent; the fight, except for a few moments, continues and ends of the ground.
The second round is performed mostly on the feet, in both the centre and the sides of the cage, until a right hook puts Oliveira down, that is subdued in an arm-triangle choke, gifting the win to Makhachev.
A possible new challenger for the bantamweight title, a splendid defence by the champion of this category, and a new lightweight king of the Dagestan dynasty.
A cura di Antonino Varì