Tag: UFC 280

Beneil Dariush thought Dustin Poirier fight made sense, but he’ll have to settle at UFC 280

Beneil Dariush finally has booked what will be his first fight in 17 months, but it’s not what he was hoping for.

(Editor’s note: Our MMA Junkie Radio interview with Beneil Dariush took place prior to his UFC 280 booking vs. Mateusz Gamrot was announced.)

UFC lightweight contender [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] finally has booked what will be his first fight in 17 months, but it’s not what he was hoping for.

Dariush, No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings at 155 pounds, is set to meet No. 15 Mateusz Gamrot on Oct. 22 at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. In the official UFC rankings, Dariush and Gamrot are ranked Nos. 6 and 9, respectively, so it’s a fine booking to be sure. It’s just that it’s another matchup against a lower-ranked opponent.

Given his seven-fight winning streak after dominating Tony Ferguson in May 2021, Dariush – whose long layoff was caused by an ankle injury – thought maybe, outside chance, that he could sneak into being one half of the vacant lightweight title fight at UFC 280. That, however, was going to depend on Charles Oliveira, who will headline the event against Islam Makhachev.

“I don’t know if I was hoping for it, but I knew if Charles did hold out for Conor (McGregor), they would make Islam and I for the belt,” Dariush told MMA Junkie Radio. “… I’m not too shocked about it or thrown off.”

The more realistic option Dariush (21-4-1 MMA, 15-4-1 UFC) hoped for was a fight with former interim lightweight champion [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]. Dariush said he’s unclear if Poirier turned him down or if the UFC even offered him the fight.

Regardless, he gets it.

“A guy like me, let’s be honest: I’m not, like, a superstar,” Dariush said. “And the scary thing about me is I pretty much eat stars, is what I do. I eat the star, and I don’t become a star. So it’s a little bit of a tricky situation. It’s possible they didn’t even ask him.”

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And so Gamrot it is. Riding a four-fight winning streak of his own, Gamrot has proven he’s no slouch coming off a unanimous decision victory over Arman Tsarukyan in his first UFC headliner last month.

On the bright side, Dariush said he could benefit by being on UFC 280 with Oliveira vs. Makhachev should something go astray with the title-fight main event.

“The good thing about going to Abu Dhabi is, let’s say Islam or Charles doesn’t show up, I would be the No. 1 replacement guy,” Dariush said.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.

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UFC 280 continues to stack lineup with Amanda Lemos vs. Marina Rodriguez targeted

The influx of UFC 280 matchups now includes Amanda Lemos vs. Marina Rodriguez at strawweight.

The UFC 280 lineup continues to stack.

The latest targeted addition between top contenders is in the women’s strawweight division. The promotion is finalizing a matchup between [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] and [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] for the Oct. 22 pay-per-view event on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

A person with knowledge of the matchup Thursday confirmed the targeted booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Brazilian outlet Combate. The person asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Lemos (12-2-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) competed as recently as this past Saturday, when she defeated Michelle Waterson by second-round guillotine choke at UFC on ABC 3. The victory returned her into the win column after a loss to Jessica Andrade in April. Lemos is 6-1 in her most recent seven appearances.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez (16-1-2 MMA, 6-1-2 UFC) has seemingly never had higher stock. Prior to Zhang Weili being declared the next title challenger for champion Carla Esparza, many fans and Rodriguez herself thought she would possibly get the next title shot.

UFC president Dana White repeatedly has said Rodriguez is close to title contention. She is coming off four straight victories, including a split decision win over Yan Xiaonan at UFC 272 in March.

With the addition, the UFC 280 lineup includes:

  • Champion Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev – for lightweight title
  • Champion Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw – for bantamweight title
  • Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan
  • Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot
  • Sean Brady vs. Belal Muhammad
  • Amanda Lemos vs. Marina Rodriguez

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Sean O’Malley confident he’ll beat Petr Yan at UFC 280, calls underdog status ‘super cool’

At UFC 280, Petr Yan will be “the best dude” Sean O’Malley has ever fought, “hands down,” and he feels good about it.

Rising UFC bantamweight star [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] has been open about the fact that he preferred a slow build to fighting top competition and stated his reasons why. But now that he’s ranked, he’s making the biggest of leaps for his next fight.

“I’m so excited for this,” O’Malley said on the ESPN show “DC & RC” with Daniel Cormier and Ryan Clark. “I almost can’t even believe it’s real, it’s happening.”

It’s real all right, and he better be ready after news broke Wednesday that O’Malley, who’s No. 13 in the official UFC rankings, will take on former champion and current No. 1 contender Petr Yan on Oct. 22 at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.

“He’s obviously the No. 1 contender right now,” O’Malley said. “He’s pretty much 1-1 against (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).”

That might be so, but it’s also being touted as a mismatch across social media. To further illustrate the gap in level, O’Malley is unranked at 135 pounds by USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie, which ranks fighters from all promotions; Yan, meanwhile, is No. 2 behind only UFC champ Aljamain Sterling.

O’Malley, 27, is on a three-fight winning streak, but his most recent first bout against a ranked Pedro Munhoz was underwhelming for as long as it lasted, with an accidental eye-poke to Munhoz forcing a no-contest after one round. On the scorecards, two of three judges gave the first to Munhoz.

Battle tested or not, O’Malley is confident he’ll be able to come out on top at UFC 280.

“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 (he’s a 3-to-1 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.”

He continued, “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.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.

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Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw title fight rescheduled for UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi

Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw will square off for bantamweight gold at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.

The UFC’s next bantamweight title matchup has a new date.

Champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] will seek his second title defense against [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] at UFC 280 on Oct. 22. The fight was previously planned for Sept. 10, but some changed to the schedule pushed the contest back.

MMA Junkie verified with multiple people close to the situation that Sterling (17-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) and Dillashaw (21-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) have both verbally agreed to the contest following an initial report from ESPN. The people requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to officials announce.

UFC 280 takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.

Sterling, 32, has won seven-straight fights including two victories over former champion Petr Yan. After Sterling won the belt by disqualification a UFC 258 in March 2021, he faced criticism and hate from an onslaught of fans for the way in which he won the title. After a neck surgery and recovery, Sterling returned at UFC 273 and defeated Yan by split decision.

Other victories during his current streak include Cory Sandhagen, Pedro Munhoz, Jimmie Rivera, Cody Stamann, and Brett Johns.

Dillashaw, 36, publicly stated since his win over Sandhagen in July 2021 that he was promised a title shot. That victory came by split decision in his first fight since a two-year USADA suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.  During the Sandhagen fight, Dillashaw injured his knee. He underwent knee surgery that kept him out of full-on training until recent months.

With the addition, the UFC 280 lineup includes:

  • Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev – for vacant lightweight title
  • Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw – for bantamweight title
  • Sean Brady vs. Belal Muhammad
  • Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan

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Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw no longer on UFC 279 table, but possible for UFC 280

With a new main event targeted, the UFC has rescinded its offer to Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw for UFC 279 – and sent out a new one for UFC 280.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] vs. [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] is off the UFC 279 table – but the delay might not be too long.

In anticipation of the five-round main event between [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag], the UFC has rescinded its offers to the bantamweight champion and next title challenger, a person with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie on Tuesday. The person asked to remain anonymous. MMA reporter Ariel Helwani was first to report on Spotify Live.

The promotion, however, is interested in preserving the matchup, a source added. UFC 280 is on the table, as the UFC eyes Sterling (21-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) vs. Dillashaw (17-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) as the second title fight for the Oct. 22 event.

As of now, UFC 281 in November is not in play, as Sterling cannot get licensed in the state of New York for medical reasons. UFC 282 is expected to take place in December in Las Vegas.

While bout agreements were issued to both fighters for UFC 279, the process faced a holdup as Sterling hopes for escalator pay, an attribute usually found in UFC contracts, where fighters get a smaller, mid-contract pay bump after each promotional appearance.

Neither Sterling nor Dillashaw have commented on the rescinded offer at the time of publication.

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Michael Bisping: Charles Oliveira will have to be perfect against mistake-free Islam Makhachev

Michael Bisping thinks Charles Oliveira has his hands full vs. Islam Makhachev when they meet for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] has his hands full against [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag].

Streaking lightweights Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) and Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) will square off for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 on Oct. 22. Despite the momentum on Oliveira’s side, Bisping says the Brazilian has to be very wary of Makhachev.

Oliveira’s title wins over Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje didn’t come without adversity. Oliveira was dropped in all three of those fights, but rallied to score finishes. However, when facing a tactical fighter like Makhachev, Bisping thinks Oliveira might end up paying if he lets his guard down.

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“(Oliveira is) going to have to be careful,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “If he wants to be the champ, if he wants to win this one and go home with another shiny belt against Islam Makhachev, he’s going to have to be perfect because Islam doesn’t make mistakes. He’s on a 10-fight win streak.

“How many decisions? One, two – four decisions in there: six stoppages, four decisions. So that’s a tremendous win streak, but it’s the way that (Makhachev) does them. He goes out there, and he’s almost perfect in his approach.”

Bisping lauded Oliveira for his recent thrilling battles, but thinks that’s what may end up costing him.

“In my opinion, Charles Oliveira (is) the most exciting fighter on the UFC roster,” Bisping said. “He really is, because he almost gets finished in a lot of them and he’s got to be careful. You don’t want to get caught off Islam Makhachev because Islam Makhachev is very clinical. He doesn’t make mistakes.

“You could argue for Charles Oliveira that the reason he is so exciting is because he gets dropped, is because he finds himself in bad positions, and that’s never planned, but it makes for a fantastic fight. … But Oliveira doesn’t plan for those things – that’s your opponent having success.”

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Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev vacant title fight set for UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi

Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev will determine the next UFC lightweight champion in October.

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] and [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] will determine the next lightweight champion at UFC 280.

Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) will attempt to regain the belt he lost on the scale in May when he meets Makhachev (23-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) on the Oct. 22 card at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The promotion announced the vacant championship bout on Saturday’s UFC on ABC 3 broadcast.

Oliveira, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, is currently riding an 11-fight winning streak. His involvement in title bouts began at UFC 262 in May 2021 when he knocked out Michael Chandler to claim the strap that had been relinquished by Khabib Nurmagomedov when he retired. “Do Bronx” subsequently submitted Dustin Poirier for the first defense of his reign.

But then Oliveira missed weight ahead of his scheduled title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 earlier this year and was forced to forfeit the gold. He went on to submit Gaethje, and UFC president Dana White promised he would be part of the next title fight. Oliveira has since campaigned for a showdown with Conor McGregor in his next fight, but he ultimately signed on for Makhachev.

No. 3 Makhachev, meanwhile, will bring a 10-fight winning streak into his first UFC title opportunity. The pupil of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov has been dominant outside of a lone loss in October 2015, racking up wins over the likes of Bobby Green, Dan Hooker, Arman Tsarukyan, and Gleison Tibau.

The latest UFC 280 lineup now includes:

  • Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev – for vacant lightweight title
  • Sean Brady vs. Belal Muhammad

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