Islam Makhachev Arm-Triangles Charles Oliveira, Seizes UFC Lightweight Crown

Islam Makhachev’s time has arrived.

The American Kickboxing Academy export completed his years-long climb to the top of the mountain, as he seized the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title by submitting Charles Oliveira with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their UFC 280 headliner on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Oliveira (33-9, 21-9 UFC) bowed out 3:16 into Round 2, suffering his first defeat since Dec. 2, 2017.

Makhachev (23-1, 12-1 UFC) was utterly brilliant. He assumed top position in the first round and successfully navigated the treacherous Oliveira guard, setting the stage for what was to come. Makhachev decked the Brazilian with a right hook in the second round, pursued him to the canvas and locked in the arm-triangle. He then cleared Oliveira’s legs, tightened his crushing squeeze and drew out the tap.

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Sterling Wrecks Injured Dillashaw

Serra-Longo Fight Team’s Aljamain Sterling retained the undisputed bantamweight crown and did so in decisive fashion, as he put away T.J. Dillashaw with elbows and punches in the second round of their co-main event. Sterling (22-3, 14-3 UFC) drew the curtain 3:44 into Round 2, extending his winning streak to eight fights.

Dillashaw (17-5, 13-5 UFC) was reported to have entered the cage with a shoulder injury—he indicated post-fight that he may have suffered as many as 20 dislocations during his training camp—and re-aggravated it while trying to defend an early takedown. Sterling moved to a dominant position and unleashed hellacious ground-and-pound before fishing for a rear-naked choke. Dillashaw somehow survived the onslaught and retreated to his corner, where they managed to massage the joint back into place between rounds. Sterling executed another takedown at the start of Round 2 and forced the Californian to grapple, at which point his shoulder again dislocated. Dillashaw conceded another takedown, and his inability to defend himself against the barrage of elbows and punches that followed prompted referee Marc Goddard to intervene.

The 36-year-old Dillashaw has now lost twice in his past three outings.

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O’Malley Stuns Favored Yan

Straight punching combinations and a late surge spurred Sean O'Malley to a split decision over former champion Petr Yan in a three-round bantamweight feature. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Vito Paolillo for Yan, David Lethaby and Ben Cartlidge for O’Malley.

Yan (16-4, 9-3 UFC) marched down the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate with his educated hands, mixed in takedowns and amassed nearly six minutes of control time. Both men were hurt in the second round, where they traded crushing left hands in the center of the cage. Yan appeared to do more damage, but his inability to procure a stoppage proved costly. O’Malley (16-1, 8-1 UFC) delivered the most impactful strike of the match in the third round, where he sent a knee crashing into the Russian’s face and opened a horizontal gash across the entire length of his right eyebrow. Yan, his DNA coloring the canvas red, managed to secure two takedowns in the waning moments of the match, but those efforts were not enough to curry the necessary favor on the scorecards.

O’Malley has pieced together a 4-0 record with one no contest across his past five appearances.

Steady Dariush Rebuffs Gamrot

Kings MMA’s Beneil Dariush kept his place in line at 155 pounds with a unanimous decision over former two-division KSW champion Mateusz Gamrot in a three-round lightweight attraction. Dariush (22-4-1, 16-4-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 nods from the judiciary.

Gamrot (21-2, 4-2 UFC) did all he could to knock the Rafael Cordeiro disciple offline. Nothing worked. Stellar takedown defense, a stout jab, punishing body kicks and the occasional punching bursts tipped the Dariush spear. He put an exclamation point on the performance in the third round, where he floored Gamrot with an overhand left, the impact of the blow echoing throughout the arena. The American Top Team-trained Polish stalwart recovered quickly but was never afforded the opportunity to establish a true foothold in the match.

Dariush has won eight fights in a row.

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Fast-Rising Fiorot Topples Chookagian

Onetime UAE Warriors champion Manon Fiorot moved another step closer to title contention with a unanimous decision over Katlyn Chookagian in a three-round women’s flyweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Fiorot (10-1, 5-0 UFC), who has rattled off 10 consecutive victories.

Chookagian (18-5, 11-5 UFC) applied forward pressure but struggled to string together combinations against the physically imposing Frenchwoman. Fiorot connected with one-twos, side kicks to the body and stomps to the knee, routinely beating her counterpart to the spot. She caught Chookagian off-guard with a takedown late in the third round, and though the former two-division Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder returned to her feet in short order, her momentum had once again been interrupted.

The setback snapped a four-fight winning streak for Chookagian, who missed weight for the match by 1.5 pounds.

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