Just for old times’ sake.
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will defend his 135-pound title against TJ Dillashaw in the UFC 280 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event this Sat. (Oct. 22, 2022) at Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi. Elsewhere on the card, former division kingpin Petr Yan — a longtime rival of Sterling — will look to keep his place atop the bantamweight rankings by turning away power-punching up-and-comer Sean O’Malley.
“We are friends now,” Sterling told the “Embedded” cameras after crossing paths with Team Yan. “It definitely feels good to put that whole episode for 13 months, the illegal knee and everything, behind me. He faked the takedown! He faked the takedown but I was ready, I don’t react to those. Now I can move on to new contenders. Fighting a guy like TJ.”
Sterling holds a draw and split decision win in two fights against Yan.
UFC 280 will be headlined by the lightweight title fight between former champion Charles Oliveira and streaking 155-pound contender Islam Makhachev. In addition, lightweight veteran Beneil Dariush looks to cement his claim to the next division title shot by shutting down No. 9-ranked Mateusz Gamrot.
For Episodes 1 and 2 of UFC 280 “Embedded” click here and here.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 280 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN+/ESPNews at 12 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 280: “Oliveira vs. Makhachev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 280 fight card and PPV line up click here.