UFC 280 Preview

Welcome ladies and gentleman, we are in for another epic night of fights on Saturday, October 18. UFC 280 will be taking place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, at the Etihad Arena. The main card features two title fights as Charles "Do Bronx" Oliveira (33-8) defends his Lightweight Championship against Islam Makhachev (22-1) and Aljamain "Funk Master" Sterling (21-3) defends his Bantamweight Championship against former Bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw (18-4). Before we witness this iconic card of fights on October 22, I wanted to share my thoughts and predictions on each of these fights.

Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev

The roof is going to be blown off the place on October 22 at the Etihad Arena when Charles "Do Bronx" Oliveira and Islam Makhachev fight in the octagon for the very first time. This fight has all of the ingredients to be an instant classic, based on the fact they're both currently the two best lightweights on the planet and the only two fighters in UFC history to fight with a 10+ fight win streak. Charles Oliveira has been arguably the best fighter on the planet for the last year and a half and has delivered dominant performances against the division's elite. "Do Bronx" holds the record for the most submissions in UFC history and has submitted the best of the best. Recently, his striking has seemed to have caught up with his jiu-jistu, as he's stood toe-to-toe with the likes of Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and Michael Chandler to name a few. On the other hand, Makhachev is the biggest threat to Oliveira in the division. He is arguably the best wrestler in the UFC and has looked unstoppable over his last 10 fights. Many people feel that Islam was gifted this title shot based on his relations to Khabib and that he hasn't beaten any fighters in the top 5 of his division. Nonetheless, Islam is definitely the biggest threat to Oliveira and this fight is going to be bananas! Both fighters will they are the best on the planet and they have a bit of a rivalry based on comments made back and forth. This fight will be determined by which fighter is able to implement their respective gameplans. Both fighters will be looking to pressure one another and force their backs against the cage. Oliveira will be looking to strike and then go for the submission, if the opportunity presents itself. Islam will be looking to take Oliveira down as soon as the bell rings and ground-and-pound into a submission. We shall find out who will be victorious come Saturday morning!

Prediction: Charles Oliveira via 4th Round Submission

Aljamain Sterling vs TJ Dillashaw

Annnnddd Stiiilllll! Alright, I might've gave my prediction away a little too early, but I must Aljamain Sterling is one of my favorite fighters. Alright, let's get to the breakdown of this fight. Aljo is defending his belt against former 2-time Bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw. I believe this fight is going to live up to the hype and be everything it's expected to be. Aljo is looking to defend his belt for the second time and TJ is looking to regain the belt that he "never" lost. This fight is pretty simple, Aljamain will be looking to march forward and take TJ Dillashaw's back; Dillashaw will be looking to use his footwork and knock Aljamain out cold. Both fighters have been going back and forth regarding who deserves to be champion. Aljamain feels he is the true champion because he won the title fair and square and TJ feels that he should still be the champion because the title was stripped away from him for testing positive for EPO. Sterling is coming off of an impressive 5-round war against former Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan, while Dillashaw is coming off of a victory over Cory Sandhagen. The only difference is that Dillashaw just recently had catastrophic knee surgery. This question raises a lot of questions, as both fighters are two of the best fighters on the planet. Who will win this fight? I'm excited for this one!!

Prediction: Aljamain Sterling via Decision