Tag: UFC 280

UFC 280 Betting Preview – Charles Oliveira Opens As Distinct Underdog Against Islam Makhachev

Charles OliveiraBack against Charles Oliveira at your very peril, however, eagle-eyed punters are likely more than willing to part with some cash ahead of UFC 280 in October – as the Brazilian opens as a quite distinct, and definite betting underdog against lightweight berserker, Islam Makhachev.  Charles Oliveira, the perennial underdog both betting and proverbial, is […]

Charles Oliveira

Back against Charles Oliveira at your very peril, however, eagle-eyed punters are likely more than willing to part with some cash ahead of UFC 280 in October – as the Brazilian opens as a quite distinct, and definite betting underdog against lightweight berserker, Islam Makhachev. 

Charles Oliveira, the perennial underdog both betting and proverbial, is slated to return to the Octagon in Abu Dhabi, UAE in October – headlining atop at UFC 280 showcase against the aforenoted, Makhachev, as the lightweight standouts vie for vacant division spoils.

The owner of a division-best 11-fight roughshod run of consecutive victories, Oliveira, the promotion’s most prolific submission threat to boot, added to that record back in May – slicing through Justin Gaethje with a first round rear-naked choke.

However, Dagestan favorite, Makhachev will attempt to land his eleventh straight win when pitted with Oliveira similarly, following a February decimation of short notice replacement, Bobby Green at the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas. 

As far as a stylistic battle between Oliveira and Makhachev is being widely previewed, the sheer evolution of both lightweights overall game – fails to provide us with any real, surefire projection on how their anticipated showdown plays out.

Charles Oliveira; a clear submission maestro with incredible durability and resilience. And now a feared striker who has notably put the trio of Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje on skids with his ever-improving Muay Thai base under the honing of Diego Lima.

Islam Makhachev; a crushing, wrestling force who can’t help but draw comparisons to teammate and former lightweight pacesetter, Khabib Nurmagomedov, however, to the consensus, the former is gulfs apart from his compatriot in an upward trajectory with his own striking on the feet in particular. 

Charles Oliveira likely to entice punters with prop and method wagers

While prop bets for those confident enough to back a method of victory for either Charles Oliveira or Islam Makhachev are in abundance, South African betting bonuses can offer outright victor wagers and odds, with Oliveira opening as a surprising +215 betting underdog against Makhachev, who himself has bolted out the gate as a -255 betting favorite in markets. 

If we break down the matchup of Oliveira and Makhachev into its simplest form, Oliveira’s best chance of success likely comes on the feet. And given his incredible offensive grappling pedigree and submission searching skills, the Sao Paulo technician can also be landed well for a submission victory or outright finish at HollyWoodBets maximum payout. 

Forced to fight through adversity in the form of numerous first round knockdowns against the above-mentioned trio of Chandler, as well as former interim champions, Poirier and Gaethje – Oliveira’s grit and bite through these all too familiar moments should make bettors confident of a drawn-out slog or chess match against Makhachev, within certain reason, of course.

Slicing through the quartet of Drew Dober, Thiago Moises, Dan Hooker, and Bobby Green with aplomb, a distinct gulf in competition and ability between those four and Oliveira must be noted when dissecting Makhachev’s path to triumph. 

Top pressure, in a measured fashion for the American Kickboxing Academy staple is pertinent against Charles Oliveira, however, playing with fire against the third degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and grappling phenom should be avoided at all costs most definitely.

Sean O’Malley Confident Going Into UFC 280 Fight with Petr Yan; “I’m Better Than Petr”

Sean O'MalleySean O’Malley will make a major step up in competition when he takes on former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280. On the heels of a disappointing no-contest with Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276, the No. 13 ranked UFC bantamweight will take a giant leap up in competition to face the No. 1 […]

Sean O'Malley

Sean O’Malley will make a major step up in competition when he takes on former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280.

On the heels of a disappointing no-contest with Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276, the No. 13 ranked UFC bantamweight will take a giant leap up in competition to face the No. 1 ranked contender this October. During his appearance on ESPN’s DC & RC, O’Malley broke the news and shared his excitement.

“I’m so excited for this. I almost can’t even believe it’s real, it’s happening,” O’Malley said

“He’s obviously the No. 1 contender right now. He’s pretty much 1-1 against ‘Aljo’ [Aljamain Sterling]. He whooped Aljo the first fight, then he got kind of whooped up in the second fight. But he could be considered the champion. The whole top 5, really — the way Petr beat Jose Aldo was one of my favorite performances of Petr Yan. So going in there and stepping up against a guy like Petr is exciting, it’s motivating, and it’s the biggest fight in the bantamweight division right now. I think it’s bigger than Aljo vs. T.J. [Dillashaw].”

‘Sugar’ quickly became a fan favorite following back-to-back first-round knockouts of Jose Alberto Quiñonez and Eddie Wineland in 2020. O’Malley suffered his first setback at UFC 252 when he lost to Marlon Vera in the first round after sustaining a leg injury. The Helena, Montana native responded with three spectacular knockout wins against Thomas Almeida, Kris Moutinho, and Raulian Paiva.

In his last outing, Sean O’Malley was matched up with No. 9 ranked contender Pedro Munhoz. Just over three minutes into the second round, an accidental eye poke by O’Malley forced Jason Herzog to call a stop to the bout at the advice of the ringside physician.

Sean O’Malley has only faced two top ten contenders in his UFC career thus far, but ‘Sugar’ says that he has been ready for an elite-level competitor like Petr Yan for quite a while.

“I’ve been preparing for this for a long time,” O’Malley said. “I’ve felt like I was capable to fight these guys for a long time, it’s just, I never got an opportunity. Pedro was the first guy in the top 10 I got an opportunity to fight. In my eyes, I feel like I won that fight, dominated, didn’t get hit once in the face or the body. So it’s perfect. I’m just so excited to get out there. It’s the first time I’m going to be an underdog. I’m assuming I’ll be an underdog, which is super cool.“

“So I think it’s going to be a super interesting fight. He says he’s a master of boxing. I like to think of myself as a very, very high-level striker.”

Sean O’Malley Opens As Significant Underdog in UFC 280 Bout with Petr Yan

According to the oddsmakers, Sean O’Malley is a +375 underdog, a first in his UFC career. Yan on the other hand opened as a -500 favorite, meaning he has a more than 80 percent probability of winning. Despite being a sizeable underdog for the first time in his UFC career, ‘Sugar’ is as confident as ever about his chances to best the former world champion when they step into the Octagon later this year.

“I believe I’m better than Petr at what we’re going to do, and that’s f****** fighting,” O’Malley said. “I’m better than Petr, and I truly believe that. And I think that’s what is going to get the job done. I’m going to go in there more prepared than Petr, I’m going to go in there and just do what I do. Obviously putting Petr’s lights out would be massive, but I just need to go in there and get the job done against Petr Yan. Three five-minute rounds.

“It’s the best dude I’ve ever fought, hands down, and I’m very excited for the opportunity. And I just believe I’m going to be better October 22nd than Petr.”

While the bout has not been made official, both fighters have verbally agreed to the matchup according to a report from MMA Fighting.

Beneil Dariush Vs. Mateusz Gamrot Set For UFC 280 Card

A massive lightweight bout between rising contenders Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot has been added to a stacked UFC 280 event. News of the matchup was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Dariush was sidelined with an ankle injury he suffer…

A massive lightweight bout between rising contenders Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot has been added to a stacked UFC 280 event. News of the matchup was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Dariush was sidelined with an ankle injury he suffered in the lead-up to his originally scheduled bout against Islam Makhachev back in February….

Continue Reading Beneil Dariush Vs. Mateusz Gamrot Set For UFC 280 Card at MMA News.

Report – Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot Booked For UFC 280 On October 22.

Beneil DariushA lightweight matchup between the surging #6 ranked division contender, Beneil Dariush and the incoming challenger, #9 rated Mateusz Gamrot is set to land on ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, UAE – with the duo set to share the Octagon at UFC 280 on October 22. Slated to feature for the first time since May […]

Beneil Dariush

A lightweight matchup between the surging #6 ranked division contender, Beneil Dariush and the incoming challenger, #9 rated Mateusz Gamrot is set to land on ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, UAE – with the duo set to share the Octagon at UFC 280 on October 22.

Slated to feature for the first time since May of last year, Beneil Dariush was originally booked to headline a UFC Apex event in February against incoming title challenger, Islam Makhachev, until a fractured fibula forced the Iranian-born challenger from proceedings.

Beneil Dariush will feature for the first time in 18 months in his UFC 280 return

As for Gamrot, the former two-weight KSW champion headlined UFC Vegas 57 back in June, defeat fellow contender and European standout, Arman Tsarukyan with a unanimous decision effort. ESPN MMA reporter, Brett Okamoto was first to report the news of Dariush’s planned return against Gamrot.

Landing victories in his last seven straight Octagon walks, Kings MMA staple, Dariush defeated former interim lightweight kingpin, Tony Ferguson with a one-sided unanimous decision back at UFC 262. 

21-4-1 as a professional, Beneil Dariush added the Oxnard veteran to a run of other wins over Thiago Moises, Drew Dober, Frank Camacho, Drakkar Klose, Scott Holtzman, and Diego Ferreira. 

4-1 since his move to the promotional, Polish contender, Gamrot made his Octagon debut back in Abu Dhabi, UAE in October 2020 – suffering a close decision loss against Guram Kutateladze. The defeat came as the first of Gamrot’s professional career.

In a quartet of victories under the UFC banner since, Gamrot defeated common-foes, Holtzman, and Ferreira with finishes, as well as locking a kimura on Jeremy Stephens in just over a minute.

UFC 280 takes place on October 22. from the Eithad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE – with a vacant lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira, and Islam Makhachev set to take main event honors.

In the night’s co-headliner, undisputed bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling is set to attempt his second defense of the division throne against former two-time titleholder, T.J. Dillashaw.

Report – Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley Targeted For UFC 280 On October 22. In Abu Dhabi

Petr YanA bantamweight matchup between former undisputed and interim division champion, Petr Yan, and the surging striker, Sean O’Malley is being targeted to land at a UFC 280 on October 22. from the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The former undisputed and interim bantamweight champion, Dudinka technician, Petr Yan returns for the […]

Petr Yan

A bantamweight matchup between former undisputed and interim division champion, Petr Yan, and the surging striker, Sean O’Malley is being targeted to land at a UFC 280 on October 22. from the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The former undisputed and interim bantamweight champion, Dudinka technician, Petr Yan returns for the first time since his April UFC 273 co-headlining rematch with current division best, Aljamain Sterling – attempting to snap a run of two straight losses.

As for O’Malley, the polarizing Montana native briefly seen his head of steam halted by Brazilian veteran, Pedro Munhoz – after an inadvertent eye poke in the second round left the latter unable to continue, resulting in an official ‘No Contest’ at UFC 276 earlier this year. 

Verbals agreements are in place for Petr Yan to face Sean O’Malley in October

News of O’Malley’s high-profile leap to a matchup with Petr Yan was initially announced on the DC & RC YouTube channel, however, Yan’s manager, Danny Rubenstein confirmed to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that only verbal agreements were in place for the fight. 

Prior to his split decision title unification loss to Sterling back in April, Russian standout, Yan dropped his undisputed bantamweight title to the Uniondale native back in March of last year after he landed an illegal knee in the fourth round of their first matchup.

In between, Yan managed to claim the interim bantamweight championship back in October of last year at UFC 267 on ‘Fight Island’ to boot, defeating Cory Sandhagen in a short-notice matchup.

Yan first landed the undisputed bantamweight crown with an eventual fifth round ground strikes win over former featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo back in July 2020, lifting the vacant division crown. 

As for O’Malley, the Dana White’s Contender Series alum had enjoyed a run of three straight knockout wins over Thomas Almeida, Kris Moutinho, and Raulian Paiva before his International Fight Week ‘No Contest’ with Munhoz.

Report – Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw Moved To UFC 280 Co-Headliner On October 22.

Aljamain SterlingExpected to feature at UFC 279 on September 10. – the undisputed bantamweight title fight between division champion, Aljamain Sterling, and challenger, former two-time division gold holder, T. J. Dillashaw, is now expected to land as the co-headlining bout for UFC 280 on October 22. at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, […]

Aljamain Sterling

Expected to feature at UFC 279 on September 10. – the undisputed bantamweight title fight between division champion, Aljamain Sterling, and challenger, former two-time division gold holder, T. J. Dillashaw, is now expected to land as the co-headlining bout for UFC 280 on October 22. at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. 

Last time out, Aljamain Sterling co-headlined UFC 273 back in April, successfully unifying the bantamweight titles with a rematch win over rival and then-interim titleholder, Petr Yan in Jacksonville, Florida.

Aljamain Sterling x T.J. Dillashaw is set to be shifted a month later to the Middle East

Returning from his infamous two-year retroactive USADA suspension back in July of last year, former two-time undisputed bantamweight champion, Dillashaw, successfully defeated common-foe, Cory Sandhagen in a close, split decision win as he returned to the division limit. Yahoo! Sports reporter, Kevin Iole was first to report the news of Sterling’s rescheduled title fight with Dillashaw.

“The bantamweight title fight between @funkmasterMMA (Aljamain Sterling) and @TJDillashaw will be co-main event on #UFC280 on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi,” Kevin Iole tweeted.  

Initially, Sterling and Dillashaw were targeted to feature at a UFC 279 event in September, however, with the confirmation of a welterweight headliner between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz for the pay-per-view event, the bantamweight title fight between Sterling and Dillashaw has been shifted. 

Clinching the undisputed bantamweight crown back in March of last year, Sterling managed to win the title via disqualification after Yan landed an illegal knee in the fourth round of their title showdown.

As for Dillashaw, the former two-time undisputed bantamweight titleholder first landed the crown with a major upset win over Brazilian veteran, Renan Barao, before then defeating former teammate, Cody Garbrandt in 2017 to win the title for the second time in his lengthy Octagon tenure. 

UFC 280 takes place on October 22. from the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE – with a vacant lightweight title fight between former champion, Charles Oliveira, and the #4 ranked, Islam Makhachev set to take main event honors.