UFC appears to be going big for its upcoming pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi.
The promotion has booked a key lightweight matchup between [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] and [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] for UFC 280, according to a report from ESPN. The winner of this bout could be next in line for the title, which is currently vacated and will be up for grabs in the main event of the same card when Charles Oliveira meets Islam Makhachev.
UFC 280 features two title fights and takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 22.
Dariush (21-4-1 MMA, 15-4-1 UFC) will enter the contest as a winner of his seven previous bouts. In his most recent outing at UFC 262, he picked up a unanimous decision victory over former interim champion Tony Ferguson. Dariush was set to face Makhachev at UFC Fight Night 202, but was forced out of the fight due to a broken fibula. Now, he’s healthy and ready to make his claim for a title shot.
“Winner fights for the belt,” Dariush told ESPN. “I’m definitely happy with the matchup. I just want to fight the best.”
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On the other end, Gamrot (21-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is riding high on the heels of his first main event in the UFC. At UFC on ESPN 38, Gamrot defeated Arman Tsarukyan, extending his current win streak to four. After dropping his debut with the promotion, Gamrot rattled off wins, finishing Scott Holtzman, Jeremy Stephens, and Diego Ferreira in 2021.
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
- Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot