| Oliveira vs. Makhachev |
Sterling vs. Dillashaw |
O’Malley vs. Yan |
Dariush vs. Gamrot |
Chookagian vs. Fiorot |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 164-98 |
 Oliveira (72%) |
 Sterling (52%) |
 Yan (63%) |
 Dariush (60%) |
 Fiorot (63%) |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 175-92  2018 Champion |
 Makhachev |
Sterling |
 O’Malley |
 Gamrot |
Fiorot |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 170-97 |
Makhachev |
Sterling |
Yan |
Gamrot |
 Chookagian |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 169-98 2014 Champion |
Oliveira |
 Dillashaw |
Yan |
Gamrot |
Chookagian |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 168-99 |
Oliveira |
Sterling |
Yan |
Gamrot |
Fiorot |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 166-101 |
Makhachev |
Dillashaw |
Yan |
Dariush |
Fiorot |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 164-103 |
Oliveira |
Dillashaw |
Yan |
Gamrot |
Fiorot |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 163-104 |
Makhachev |
Dillashaw |
Yan |
Dariush |
Fiorot |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 158-109 |
Oliveira |
Sterling |
Yan |
Gamrot |
Chookagian |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 157-110 2017 Champion |
Oliveira |
Sterling |
Yan |
Dariush |
Chookagian |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 149-118 |
Oliveira |
Sterling |
Yan |
Dariush |
Fiorot |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 132-134 |
Oliveira |
Dillashaw |
Yan |
Gamrot |
Fiorot |
The UFC is back in Abu Dhabi for arguably its biggest pay-per-view of the year with a pair of title fights at the top of the card.
UFC 280 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, former lightweight champion [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) goes after the belt he was stripped of when he missed weight earlier this year. He takes on [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) for the vacant title. Makhachev is a -190 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Oliveira is +145. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have the Brazilian underdog taking the title back at a 7-4 clip.
In the co-main event bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) puts his title on the line against former champ [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC). Sterling is a -175 favorite, but he has just a 6-5 slim edge in the picks.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) meets former bantamweight titleholder [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in what likely is a title eliminator. Yan is the biggest favorite on the main card at nearly 3-1, and he is a near-unanimous pick from our staff members at 10-1.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (21-4-1 MMA, 15-4-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at lightweight. Gamrot is more than a 2-1 favorite and has a 7-4 lead in the picks.
And to open the main card, former women’s flyweight title challenger [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC) fights [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC). Chookagian missed weight for the fight, but the bout will go on at a catchweight. Fiorot is a -220 favorite and has a decent 7-4 lead in the picks.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Oliveira (72 percent), Sterling (52 percent), Yan (63 percent), Dariush (60 percent) and Fiorot (63 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.
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