The vacant lightweight title and bantamweight title will be on the line in Abu Dhabi this fall
Khabib Nurmagomedov has every confidence that Islam Makhachev is going to beat Charles Oliveira.
Next weekend, Makhachev faces Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in the main event of UFC 280, in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year. The bout is a long time coming for Makhachev, who many tabbed as the next lightweight champion when Nurmagomedov retired in 2020. And when Makhachev steps into the cage next weekend, Nurmagomedov expects him to dominate.
UFC 280 fight card, odds
- Islam Makhachev -190 vs. Charles Oliveira +160, vacant lightweight title
- Aljamain Sterling (c) -170 vs. TJ Dillashaw +145, bantamweight title
- Petr Yan -310 vs. Sean O'Malley +250, bantamweights
- Matuez Gamrot -190 vs. Beneil Dariush +160, lightweights
- Manon Fiorot -190 vs. Katlyn Chookagian +160, women's flyweights
- Sean Brady -135 vs. Belal Muhammad +115, welterweights
- Caio Borralho -220 vs. Makhmud Muradov +180, middleweights
- Nikita Krylov -170 vs. Volkan Oezdemir +145, light heavyweights
- Zubaira Tukhugov -155 vs. Lucas Almeida +130, featherweights
- Magomed Mustafaev -550 vs. Yamato Nishikawa +400, lightweights
- Abubakar Nurmagomedov -175 vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev +150, welterweights
- Armen Petrosyan -220 vs. A.J. Dobson +180, middleweights
- Muhammad Mokaev -700 vs. Malcolm Gordon +500, flyweights
- Karol Rosa -230 vs. Lina Lansberg +190, women's bantamweights
UFC 280 info
- Date: Oct. 22
- Location: Etihad Arena -- Abu Dhabi
- Start time: 2 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
If Alexander Volkanvovski is forced to step in at UFC 280, he hopes it’s against Charles Oliveira.
Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) said he’s the official backup for the vacant lightweight title fight between Oliveira and Islam Makhachev on Oct. 22, meaning he will weigh in with the rest of the fighters in Abu Dhabi.
Volkanovski sees Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) as a formidable opponent, too, but if he does get the call to jump in as a replacement, he’d rather fight former champion Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) simply because he never lost his title.
“I’d say Charles would be the better opponent,” Volkanovski said on “The MMA Hour.” “People say stylistically yeah, but obviously there’s a lot of hype around Charles. Everyone considers him the champ, so then if I beat him then everyone’s going to consider me the champion.
“If I was to face Islam, I’m sure people would still say I’m champ, but I’m still going to have to beat Charles. You face Charles, it’s a bigger fight, because he’s got a lot of hype on him.”
“I think Islam is more skilled than Oliveira,” Nurmagomedov said in an interview with UFC Russia (h/t MMA Junkie). “Secondly, his experience as an amateur fighter. Also, he’s at his peak. Islam is at his peak. Islam isn’t 23, 26 or 27. He’s 30. A week after the fight, he’ll be 31. It’s the best time for any athlete. It’s a time when your mental and physical state should be in synergy. Sometimes your mental state is high, but your physical state is going down.
“Or when you’re 27 and at your physical peak, but mentally you’re not there yet, because you’re just 27, not 31. And Islam is at his peak. I think Islam is better overall. Of course, there are some potential dangers that we’re working on where Islam needs to be careful. Other than that, Islam should roll over him.”
Nurmagomedov is not the only one who thinks Makhachev will get his hand raised at UFC 280, with sports books installing Makhachev as a -180 favorite, implying a 64.3 percent win probability. But even though Khabib believes Makhachev should have little trouble with Oliveira, that doesn’t mean they are looking past the former champion. When asked what comes next for Makhachev once he’s won the title, Khabib was quick to rebuff the idea of overlooking “Do Bronx.”
“Islam will be fighting the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter for the UFC title,” Nurmagomedov said. “That’s his life goal. Only a dumb person can think about what’s next. Islam has a target, a date, an opponent, a location... there’s no reason to get distracted.”
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