The UFC is in Abu Dhabi this week with a fighting card with a good handful of great matches. Chief among them is the main event that pits former UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira (whose reign has expired on a technical basis) against the ruthless Islam Makhachev, who will have former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner.
The common main event is another title fight. For this, UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (who has lost a lot of fans thanks to the company he’s been keeping recently) is defending against ex-champion TJ Dillashaw (who seems to be gaining fans thanks to his past careless dealings).
Before the title fights, there are two semi-title elimination games with Petr Yan vs. Rounding out the PPV card is the exciting potential client Manon Fiorot, who will be tested by Catelyn Chukajian.
The prelims’ pick is Bilal Muhammad against Sean Brady in the welterweight division. There is also Nikita Krylov against Volkan Ozdemir, which should not disappoint you.
Before any of this can happen, the fighters must pass the scales unharmed. The last time Oliveira faced this situation he lost his lightweight title. So there might be some drama on the scale again today. Remember that all four fighters in the tournament rounds must beat their scores without allowance of a single pound in order to compete for gold.
You can watch how it all unfolds in the live stream below, presented by our friends at MMA Fighting. Live broadcast starts at 1 a.m. ET.
UFC 280: Oliveira vs Makhachev Media Day Live | Fighting MMA
Ceremonial Scales will be broadcast at 8 a.m. ET. You can see the following:
Full results:
Main Card (4pm on ESPN)
Lightweight Championship: Charles Oliveira (154.5) vs. Islam Makhachev (154.5)
Bodyweight Championship: Aljamin Sterling (135) vs. T.J. Delashaw (135)
Peter Yan (136) Sean O’Malley (135.5)
Benil Driouch (156): Matthews Jamroth (156)
Catelyn Shukajian (127.5) ** vs. Manon Fioro (125.5)
Initial Card (11AM on ESPN+)
Bilal Muhammad (170) vs. Sean Brady (171)
Mahmud Muradov (185.5) Cayo Buralho (186)
Volkan Ozdemir (206) Nikita Krylov (206)
Abubakar Nurmagomedov (170.5) vs. Gadzi Omargadzhiev (171)
Armen Petrosyan (186) vs. Dobson (185)
Malcolm Gordon (126) vs Muhammed Mokafe (126)
Carol Rosa (135): Lena Lansberg (135)
Main event back up: Alexander Volkanovsky (155)
* It was announced that the match between Zbira Tukhjov and Lucas Almeida had been canceled due to “weight management issues”.
** Shukagean lost weight
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