UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Tito Wordsmith
- 4 hours ago
- 8 min read
Introduction
UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev took place on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It was the night Islam Makhachev began his championship reign as the heir-to-Khabib UFC lightweight champion, the night TJ Dillashaw's shoulder dislocated multiple times in a championship round, and the night Sean O'Malley produced one of the most controversial decision wins of 2022. The card produced an estimated 800,000 pay-per-view buys.
Islam Makhachev fought a clean two-round championship performance. He used his wrestling to control round one, scored takedowns repeatedly, and worked into a tight arm-triangle choke at 3:16 of round two. Charles Oliveira — the most prolific finisher in UFC history — tapped from a position he could not escape. Makhachev was the UFC lightweight champion, the third Dagestani champion in the UFC's modern era, and the formal successor to his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The co-main produced one of the strangest championship finishes of 2022. Aljamain Sterling defended his bantamweight title against TJ Dillashaw — the former two-time champion who had returned from a four-year USADA suspension. Dillashaw's left shoulder dislocated in the opening 30 seconds of round one, popped back in, and then dislocated again multiple times throughout the round. Sterling stopped him via TKO at 3:44 of round two.
The featured main-card bout was the most-debated decision of 2022. Sean O'Malley defeated Petr Yan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) in a fight most observers had scored for Yan. The result positioned O'Malley for the bantamweight title shot he would receive at UFC 292 in August 2023.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, October 22, 2022
📍 Venue: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, UAE
👥 Attendance: 16,500 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: Undisclosed (record for Etihad Arena)
📺 PPV Buys: ~800,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev — Vacant UFC Lightweight Championship (155 lbs)
✅ Result: Makhachev def. Oliveira via Submission (arm-triangle choke) — R2, 3:16
🥇 Co-Main: Aljamain Sterling (c) def. TJ Dillashaw via TKO (corner stoppage) — R2, 3:44 — Bantamweight Title
The Build-Up
Charles Oliveira had lost the UFC lightweight title on the scales at UFC 274 and reclaimed it 24 hours later by submitting Justin Gaethje in round one. Islam Makhachev was 22-1 with a 10-fight UFC win streak — the heir-apparent to his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had retired in 2020 with the UFC lightweight title. Makhachev had not lost since 2015. He was a -250 favourite for the vacant title.
The co-main was Aljamain Sterling's second bantamweight title defense after his UFC 273 unification win over Petr Yan. TJ Dillashaw had returned from a four-year USADA suspension for EPO use; he was 17-4 with two previous UFC bantamweight title reigns. He had won the title in 2014 (and 2018 in his rematch with Cody Garbrandt). Despite the long layoff, he was still ranked among the top bantamweight contenders.
The featured main-card bout matched Sean O'Malley against Petr Yan. O'Malley was on a four-fight win streak and the rising star of the bantamweight division; Yan was 16-3 and the recently-unseated bantamweight champion (he had lost to Sterling at UFC 273). Yan was a -150 favourite.
Main Event: Oliveira vs. Makhachev
Round one was Makhachev's. He shot a double-leg takedown at 0:45, secured top position, and controlled the round with sustained ground work. Oliveira's guard was active — he attempted multiple submission setups — but Makhachev's pressure and positional control denied every attempt. By the end of round one, Makhachev had landed 30 significant strikes to Oliveira's 8 and controlled 4:30 of ground time.
Round two was the finish. Makhachev scored another takedown at 1:00, worked into a tight half-guard at 2:00, and began setting up the arm-triangle at 2:30. Oliveira recognised the threat and attempted to defend, but Makhachev's positioning was perfect — he had Oliveira's left arm pinned across his own neck. The choke locked at 3:00; Oliveira tapped at 3:16.
Islam Makhachev was the UFC lightweight champion. He had completed the path his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov had laid out for him — the heir-to-Khabib championship reign confirmed by Khabib's cornerwork and post-fight celebration. In his post-fight interview, Makhachev was characteristically measured: "I am the champion. This is what we worked for."
Makhachev would defend the title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in February 2023 (UD), against Volkanovski again at UFC 294 in October 2023 (KO R1), against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 in June 2024 (Submission R5), and against Arman Tsarukyan in subsequent meetings. He has remained the UFC lightweight champion into the mid-2020s as the longest-reigning lightweight champion since the Khabib era.
For Charles Oliveira, the loss was the formal close of his championship reign. He had won the title at UFC 262, lost it on the scales at UFC 274, reclaimed it 24 hours later, and now lost it again at UFC 280. He has remained the most prolific finisher in UFC history (with 21 UFC finishes by UFC 280) but has not held the title since.
Co-Main Event: Sterling vs. Dillashaw
TJ Dillashaw's left shoulder dislocated in the opening 30 seconds of round one when he attempted a left hook. The shoulder popped back in within seconds; Dillashaw continued. It dislocated again at 2:30 of round one when he threw another left punch. It dislocated three more times over the remainder of the round. Each time, Dillashaw popped it back in and continued. The corner allowed him to continue.
Round two was effectively over. Aljamain Sterling pressed Dillashaw against the cage, scored a takedown at 0:45, controlled top position, and landed sustained ground-and-pound. Dillashaw's corner threw in the towel at 3:44 of round two. The technical TKO was the result; Dillashaw's third title-fight loss.
TJ Dillashaw retired from MMA shortly after UFC 280, citing the chronic shoulder injury as the reason. He had a 17-5 career record, two UFC bantamweight title reigns, and one of the most respected technical games of his era. He has remained involved in MMA coaching and analysis since.
Aljamain Sterling would defend the title against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in May 2023 (UD) before losing it to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 in August 2023 by second-round KO.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Islam Makhachev def. Charles Oliveira — Submission (arm-triangle choke) — R2, 3:16 — Vacant Lightweight Title
Aljamain Sterling (c) def. TJ Dillashaw — TKO (corner stoppage) — R2, 3:44 — Bantamweight Title
Sean O'Malley def. Petr Yan — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Bantamweight
Beneil Dariush def. Mateusz Gamrot — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Lightweight
Magomed Mustafaev def. N/A (Correction: Belal Muhammad def. Sean Brady via TKO R2, 4:44) — Welterweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Volkan Oezdemir def. Nikita Krylov — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R2, 1:25 — Light Heavyweight
Caio Borralho def. Makhmud Muradov — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R3, 4:10 — Middleweight
Karol Rosa def. Lina Lansberg — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Women's Bantamweight
Mounir Lazzez def. Ange Loosa — Submission (anaconda choke) — R2, 4:01 — Welterweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Islam Makhachev — $50,000 for the second-round arm-triangle submission of Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Volkan Oezdemir — $50,000 for the second-round rear-naked choke of Nikita Krylov.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Caio Borralho — $50,000 for the third-round rear-naked choke of Makhmud Muradov.
Records & Milestones
• Islam Makhachev won the UFC lightweight title — the formal heir-to-Khabib championship transition.
• Makhachev's 11-fight UFC win streak — the longest active streak in the lightweight division at the time.
• TJ Dillashaw's shoulder dislocated five times across two rounds — one of the strangest championship-round physical situations in UFC history.
• Sean O'Malley's controversial split-decision win — the most-debated UFC bantamweight decision of 2022.
• Belal Muhammad's TKO of Sean Brady — part of his eventual nine-fight UFC win streak en route to the welterweight title at UFC 304.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 280 is remembered as the formal start of the Islam Makhachev championship reign. The win confirmed Makhachev as the heir-to-Khabib Dagestani champion and started a championship arc that would dominate the lightweight division through the mid-2020s. The arm-triangle submission of Charles Oliveira — the most prolific finisher in UFC history — was the formal validation of Makhachev's grappling game at the championship level.
For Islam Makhachev, UFC 280 began a championship reign that would extend through UFC 302 in June 2024 (a fifth-round submission win over Dustin Poirier) and beyond. He defended the title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 (UD), Volkanovski again at UFC 294 (KO R1), and Poirier at UFC 302 (Submission R5). He has remained the longest-reigning UFC lightweight champion since the Khabib era and one of the most decorated UFC champions of the mid-2020s.
For Charles Oliveira, the loss was the formal close of his championship reign. He had won the title at UFC 262 in May 2021, lost it on the scales at UFC 274, reclaimed it 24 hours later, and lost it again at UFC 280. He has not held the UFC lightweight title since but has remained the most prolific finisher in UFC history.
For TJ Dillashaw, UFC 280 was the formal close of his MMA career. He retired shortly after the fight, citing the chronic shoulder injury as the reason. He finished his career 17-5 with two UFC bantamweight title reigns (2014 and 2018) and one of the most respected technical games of his era.
FAQ
Why was Makhachev called the heir-to-Khabib?
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev had trained together at the AKA gym since 2014. They were both Dagestani Sambo-based grapplers; Khabib had publicly identified Makhachev as his successor years before he retired in 2020. Khabib was in Makhachev's corner at UFC 280, helping with cornerwork between rounds. The championship transition was the formal validation of the path Khabib had laid out — Makhachev was the second Dagestani UFC lightweight champion and the heir-apparent to one of the most dominant champions in UFC history.
How bad was Dillashaw's shoulder?
Multiple complete dislocations across two championship rounds. Dillashaw's left shoulder dislocated five times across rounds one and two; each time he popped it back in and continued. The injury was a chronic problem dating to a 2019 training session; he had reportedly been managing it for years. After UFC 280, doctors confirmed extensive labrum damage and ligament wear that required surgical reconstruction. Dillashaw retired from MMA in November 2022, citing the shoulder as the primary reason.
Was O'Malley vs. Yan really that controversial?
Yes. Most observers had scored the fight for Yan. Compustrike showed Yan with a 130-89 significant strike differential and four knockdowns to O'Malley's zero. Yan disputed the result publicly. The 29-28 ×2 cards for O'Malley were widely seen as a controversial outcome. The result confirmed that the UFC saw O'Malley as a marketable championship contender; he received the title shot at UFC 292 in August 2023 and won the UFC bantamweight title against Sterling by second-round KO.
Did Oliveira ever fight Makhachev again?
No. UFC 280 was their only meeting. Oliveira has remained a top-five lightweight contender into the mid-2020s but has not received another shot at Makhachev. He lost to Topuria at UFC 308 in October 2024 and to Pimblett at UFC 312 in February 2025.
Has Makhachev lost the title?
No. As of mid-2025, Makhachev remains the UFC lightweight champion with multiple successful defenses against Volkanovski, Poirier, and Tsarukyan. He has remained the longest-reigning UFC lightweight champion since the Khabib era and one of the most decorated UFC champions of the mid-2020s.
How does UFC 280 compare to UFC 279?
UFC 280 drew approximately 800,000 PPV buys — even with UFC 279 (800,000) six weeks earlier. Both cards were among the highest-drawing UFC PPVs of 2022; UFC 280 drew strong international interest from the Middle East and the lightweight title vacancy, while UFC 279 had drawn its numbers from the dramatic weigh-in reshuffle. UFC 280's two title fights versus UFC 279's zero made it the deeper-card event in cumulative championship weight.
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