Fight Facts: UFC 280 ‘Oliveira vs. Makhachev’

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and Octagon oddities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 6,859
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 624

The Ultimate Fighting Championship tried to pull out all the stops at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, but some fans ultimately left unsatisfied after the day’s frivolities. Two champions were crowned, with one taking a vacant throne and the other defending his own, but the latter brought about more questions than it answered. UFC 280 featured the third Russian-born fighter to capture a belt, a few historic win streaks growing in strength and a finisher that settled for an exceptionally rare judges’ decision.

Dragged in Parts: All 12 fights across UFC 280 passed the five-minute mark to at least reach Round 2. This is the first event to do so since UFC Fight Night 190 in June 2021, where all 13 fights went beyond the first round. Between then and now, 55 events totaling 664 bouts took place for the UFC.

No Comment: In the second round of the UFC 280 main event, Islam Makhachev submitted Charles Oliveira to capture the vacant UFC lightweight title. The Dagestan-born Makhachev is now the third Russian to hoist UFC gold, joining two other men who were present on Saturday: former bantamweight champ Petr Yan and one of Makhachev’s lightweight predecessors, teammate-turned-coach Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Islamania: Makhachev finds himself on an 11-fight win streak following his triumphant main event performance, with 10 coming in the lightweight division. He becomes the 13th fighter in company history to win more than 10 fights in a row inside the Octagon.

Thy Sword Hath Two Edges: Oliveira succumbed to an arm-triangle choke, marking the fourth time he has tapped out in a UFC match. Of all the fighters with 10 or more wins by submission in the UFC, he has been forced to tap out more than any other.

Who Wants an Asterisk: Aljamain Sterling successfully defended his 135-pound throne by dispatching T.J. Dillashaw in the second round. His 13 wins as a bantamweight tie Dillashaw for the most in divisional history.

Quietest Record Book Climb Out There: Of his 13 victories, six for Sterling have ended by stoppage. Only Urijah Faber (seven), Dillashaw (eight) and Marlon Vera (10) have earned more finishes as UFC bantamweights.

And Still, No Respect on This Man’s Name: “Funk Master” has won his last eight outings dating back to a decision over Brett Johns in 2018. His eight-fight win streak is now the longest in UFC bantamweight history, breaking a tie with several other names including Renan Barao, rival Yan and teammate Merab Dvalishvili.

You Said the “R” Word: By a contentious split decision, Sean O'Malley topped Yan on two of three scorecards. It marked the first time that Yan had ever fallen short in three-round tilt, with five-round affairs account for his prior three defeats.

Favoritism, Thy Name is Sean: Both O’Malley and Yan ended their nights an additional $50,000 richer thanks to their “Fight of the Night” honors. In his 10 UFC appearances, O’Malley has pocketed seven post-fight checks, placing him one behind Dillashaw for the most in UFC bantamweight history.

Benny’s the Name: Earning his eighth win in a row, Beneil Dariush prevailed over Mateusz Gamrot by unanimous verdict. Across UFC lightweight history, four men have strung together longer win streaks in the division: Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Oliveira and Makhachev.

One Hand on the Gate: While she missed weight, Katlyn Chookagian has made 13 appearances in bouts scheduled in the flyweight division. This ties her with Gillian Robertson for the most fights in the category’s history, even with her decision loss to Manon Fiorot.

Remember That Performance: Belal Muhammad earned his first stoppage in over three years when he put Sean Brady away with punches in the second round of their preliminary headliner. In victory, “Remember the Name” lifted his finish rate above 25%, and he has now notched three wins by stoppage since joining the UFC in 2016.

Bring Back Al Capone: Needing three full rounds to pull off the win, Nikita Krylov did enough to take home a unanimous decision over Volkan Oezdemir. “The Miner” has now won twice by decision in his over 10-year career, one that has seen him victorious 29 times.

The Miner Dug Deep: Krylov grounded Oezdemir seven times across their 15-minute engagement, smashing a personal best that was once three. On the other side, in Oezdemir’s previous 11 UFC fights, he had only been taken down six times in total.

Competition Toughened Up Real Fast: Gadzhi Omargadzhiev started his pro career by amassing 13 straight wins, with 11 of them coming inside the distance. Since joining the UFC in April, Omargadzhiev has lost twice, both times by decision, with the latest loss to Abubakar Nurmagomedov.

Zemlyakov’s Curse: Win or lose, the first seven fights of Armen Petrosyan’s career all concluded due to strikes. In his three UFC bouts in 2022, Petrosyan has involved the judges every time, including Saturday’s decision win over A.J. Dobson.

From Ho-Hum to Boy Howdy: At 4:26 of the third frame, Muhammad Mokaev lifted his pro record to 8-0 (1 NC) with an armbar of Malcolm Gordon. He clocks in with the seventh-latest finish in divisional history, although five of those later than his came in title fights.

Hype Train on Overload: The biggest betting favorite on the card by a wide margin, Mokaev closed at -1000 odds against the +800 Gordon. Like the other three UFC fighters to check in at that line or higher this year – Alexander Romanov, Umar Nurmagomedov and Aliaskhab Khizriev – Mokaev prevailed when the dust settled.

Majority Does Not Rule: Karol Rosa squeaked by Lina Lansberg via majority decision, courtesy of a point deduction in Round 2. The majority verdict is the eighth to come in the UFC this year, accounting for more in a calendar year than any other. 2017 and 2021 each saw six fights scored in this fashion.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC 280, Yan (19 fights), Omargadzhiev (14 fights) and Dobson (eight fights) had never dropped consecutive bouts; Brady had never been defeated (15 fights) and Mokaev had never landed an armbar (nine fights, five finishes).

I Heard About the Power: For the entirety of Dariush’s eight-fight win streak, he has walked out to “Still Rolling Stones” by Lauren Daigle, switching to the tune following his 2018 defeat to Alexander Hernandez. Dariush has yet to lose when accompanied by this song.

Kiara Does Rock: In all three of Borralho’s UFC appearances, he has chosen “Ultimos Dias” by Kiara Rocks. The Brazilian has not yet tasted defeat inside the Octagon.