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.
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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.
Order UFC 280 “Oliveira vs. Makhachev” exclusively
on ESPN+
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.
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.
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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