Zellhuber submits Giagos with anaconda choke!
Sep 19What a night we had in store for you on BT Sport Box Office as UFC 280 gets underway at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Click the links below to skip to the bout of your choice for post-fight reports and exclusive reaction from our backstage team throughout the evening.
Prelims
Karol Rosa def. Lina Lansberg via MD
Muhammad Mokaev def. Malcom Gordon via Sub, R3
Armen Petrosyan def. AJ Dobson via UD
Abubakar Nurmagomedov def. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev via UD
Nikita Krylov def. Volkan Oezdemir via UD
Caio Borralho def. Makhmud Muradov via UD
Belal Muhammad def. Sean Brady via TKO R2
Main card
Manon Fiorot def. Katlyn Chookagian via UD
Beneil Dariush def. Mateusz Gamrot via UD
Sean O'Malley def. Petr Yan via SD
Armen Petrosyan def. AJ Dobson via UD
The middleweights got us underway on the televised broadcast as Armen Petrosyan scored a shutout victory against AJ Dobson, bouncing back from a loss to Caio Borralho on his last outing at the first time of asking.
Petrosyan was the far busier man througout the contest, putting together combinations and pushing the pace against a relatively stale Dobson.
After going three takedowns in the opening two rounds, the American did little to impose himself on his Armenian opponent, throwing single shots and following Petrosyan around the Octagon while ignoring the screams from his corner for any urgency.
A deserved win for the 35-year-old Petrosyan - and one that consigned to a second straight UFC defeat since graduating from the Contender Series.
Abubakar Nurmagomedov def. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev via UD
It was a gruelling contest for both men predictably fought for the majority of the 15 minutes on the ground.
Nurmagomedov, cousin of former lightweight champion Khabib, demonstrated the grappling prowess that clearly runs in the blood to control the majority of the opening two rounds from top position on the mat.
The welterweight contender racked up more than two-and-a-half minutes of top control in the first and more than three-and-a-half in the second, leaving Omargadzhiev visibly exhausted on the feet heading into the third.
Omargadzhiev remained game in the third as the two tired combatants exchanged increasingly loose strikes with Nurmagomedov even scoring a knockdown in the dying moments of the third - although it looked like exhaustion more than impact had done the damage on Omargadzhiev.
The stats book says both men landed 44 significant strikes each but with Omargadzhiev clearly looking the more beaten of the duo, it was a deserved if unspectacular win for Nurmagomedov.
Nikita Krylov def. Volkan Oezdemir via UD
Now we're talking! What a start to this fight as both men came out swinging for the bridges looking to make it a quick nights' work - and it was Oezdemir who nearly got the job done as he found the target with alarming ease during a wild minute to begin the first.
A dazed Krylov managed to wrestle back some control before roaring back into the contest and clipping Oezdemir with a left hook that sent the giant Swiss fighter stumbling backwards.
The Ukrainian contender followed Oezdemir to the mat, almost sinking in a rear-naked chokehold but Oezdemir reversed and landed some heavy ground and pound in reply.
But Krylov flew out the traps in the second, backing Oezdemir up with powerful combinations, drawing adulation from the crowd who began chanting his name inside the Etihad Arena.
Oezdemir survived the mini onslaught - but he was powerless to stop Krylov securing takedowns almost at will as the 30-year-old took control of the contest.
That momentum continued into the third as Krylov set a new UFC career-high for takedowns landed in his career, surpassing his previous best of three with eight against Oezdemir.
Caio Borralho def. Makhmud Muradov via UD
Caio Borralo battled to a deserved and fairly dominant points win over Makhmud Muradov after three rounds that never really caught fire in truth.
Both men had moments of success on the feet in the first round but it was on the mat that Borralho established himself as the aggressor in a pattern that would repeat itself over the course of the 15 minutes.
The Brazilian clearly had the advantage in terms of offensive grappling but came up against a stubborn force on the ground in a fit and strong Muradov.
Muradov reversed position a few times to find himself in full mount over Borralho but the Uzbek fighter couldn't land anything of major significance in terms of ground-and-pound.
The fight eventually fizzled out into a fairly unspectacular decision with Borralho ending the fight in top control against Muradov to secure a third straight UFC win and extend his career record to 13-1.
Belal Muhammad def. Sean Brady via TKO R2
Stand up Belal Muhammad!
What a performance from the number five ranked welterweight! The 34-year-old came out like a man possessed, pressuring Brady with unrelenting pressure from the first second of the fight.
But it did not go all Muhammad's way as was forced to eat a few clean shots from Brady who found a home more than once with some counter shots that marked up his face throughout the first.
After a pep talk from his newly-appointed coach Khabib Nurmagomedov in between rounds, Muhammad came out in the second and continued to pile the pressure on a wilting Brady.
A beautiful overhand right proved to be the breakthrough for Muhammad as he clobbered Brady and sent the Philadelphia man into survival mode.
He showed an unbelievable chin and huge desire to remain on his feet during a brutal 30-second unanswered salvo from Muhammad before the referee finally stepped in to save him from what looked certain to be a damaging knockout.
A superb showing from Muhammad, who had been the betting underdog heading into the contest, as he called out the 170lb champion Leon Edwards - who is in attendance at the Etihad Arena - for a rematch of their ill-fated no-contest in March 2021.
Manon Fiorot def. Katlyn Chookagian via UD
French flyweight contender Manon Fiorot edged out Katlyn Chookagian in a cagey, close contest to open the main card at UFC 280.
The number six ranked Fiorot caught Chookagian's attention in the opening few seconds of the contest, firing a straight right hand down the pipe to snap Chookagian's head back.
But the veteran fired back with a right hand of her own, making use of her long levers to keep Fiorot at distance, establishing control of the round with her movement and sniping from range to take the opening round.
Fiorot reversed the tide in the second though, finding her own range, growing into the contest with confidence at every punch landed.
It was another tough round to score in the third and final round but Fiorot landed an eye-catching takedown to go compliment her forward-pressure and Octagon aggression that probably went a long way to her winning the fight.
Beneil Dariush def. Mateusz Gamrot via UD
This was the fight that some believed could steal the show in Abu Dhabi with two of the most talented grapplers in the UFC going head-to-head.
And it began in lightning fashion with some thrilling scrambles and offensive grappling through the opening round, Gamrot attempting to follow up on his vow to make his superior wrestling ability count.
But Dariush always seemed to have an answer for Gamrot's takedowns, stuffing all but three of nearly 20 attempted by the Pole throughout the contest.
The 34-year-old began to find his way in the second, timing his striking with increasing confidence as he looked to land with a powerful left hand.
In what was probably the defining moment of the fight, that was exactly the shot that landed as Dariush cracked Gamrot with a beautifully timed overhand left as the former KSW champion looked to move inside range, downing Gamrot momentarily.
A superb performance from Dariush that will have done his 155lb title credentials absolutely no harm, proving himself one of the most dangerous men in the division for anyone who might have forgotten during a year-long absence.
Sean O'Malley def. Petr Yan via SD
What a fight! Wow!
Take a bow Petr Yan and Sean O'Malley, UFC 280 needed that!
The two bantamweight contenders put on a thrilling three-round back-and-forth war to light up the Etihad Arena - but the 'Suga' show got his hand raised after a contested split decision on the scorecards.
Yan opened up the fight with intent, slapping O'Malley with a huge leg kick delivered with such force it appeared to knock the Montana man momentarily off-balance.
But O'Malley, who had only ever fought against a ranked opponent once in his UFC career to this point, grew into the contest and certainly did not look out of place by the end of the first stanza, despite being forced to defend multiple takedowns by the former champion.
Yan looked pushed the pace further in the second round but it was O'Malley who first made the most significant breakthrough of the fight, planting Yan with a pearler on the chin that wobbled the Russian.
O'Malley went on the hunt for the finish but found himself eating a monster left hand from the wounded number one contender, sending the crowd wild after a crazy exchange.
The two combatants went tit-for-tat in the closing stages of the fight before Yan looked to land a potentially fight-defining takedown to see out the final round.
In the end however, two judges scored the contest in favour of O'Malley, perhaps seeing what most others did not with many believing Yan had done enough to get his arm raised after a tough battle.
Speaking to Daniel Cormier in the Octagon immediately after the decision, an exhausted and shellshocked O'Malley admitted Yan had "taken me to a place I've never been before".
"I was hurt more than I've ever been considered I don't usually get hit," he continued.
"I was definitely rocked."
A wild fight and a superb showing from the 27-year-old, who becomes an instant contender at 135lb.
Aljamain Sterling def. TJ Dillashaw via TKO R2
Misfortune struck the co-main event between bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and TJ Dillashaw as the challenger dislocated his shoulder within seconds of the first bell.
Dillashaw, 36, appeared to separate the joint during a relatively innocuous scramble, leaving him seriously compromised and unable to fight off Sterling on the canvas.
There's arguably nobody more dangerous in that scenario anywhere in the division than Sterling and he made his advantage pay, taking total control of the round and landing heavy shots while in full back control of Sterling.
Somehow the two-time 135lb king Dillashaw made it to the stool between rounds where his shoulder was popped back into its socket - but the same injury reared its head again in the second, rendering Dillashaw almost helpless against Sterling's takedowns.
The finish finally came as Dillashaw's brave resistance was broken when the referee stepped in to rescue him from taking any more damage under heavy rain from Sterling, who had him flattened out eating big punches from underneath.
"In the back I was thinking this was going to be a five round war," Sterling told Cormier after being presented with his 135lb once again.
Speaking to Cormier later, Dillashaw revealed he had been struggling with the shoulder injury since April.
"I probably separated my shoulder 20 times during his camp," he said.
Fair play to Dillashaw for getting in there - but Sterling did what he needed to in order to take the belt back to New Jersey.
Islam Makhachev def. Charles Oliveira via Sub R2
Islam Makhachev answered any lingering doubts about his sensational talent in emphatic fashion as he dominated Charles Oliveira during a brilliant performance to secure the vacant 155lb title.
The Russian delivered on his pre-fight promise to submit the former lightweight champion, forcing the tap midway through the second round with a head-and-arm choke following a concussive knockdown.
It was a complete showing from Makhachev who set the tone early in the fight, landing a stiff straight left in the opening moments of the fight to cut Oliveira just above the eyebrow.
The first grappling exchanges of the fight followed shortly after as Makhachev looked to dominate from top position while Oliveira scrambled looking to set up triangles and armbars from the bottom.
They worked back to their feet - but Makhachev landed another eye-catching takedown shortly afterwards, tripping Oliveira just in front of coach Khabib Nurmagomedov in the corner to the legendary fighter's delight.
Oliveira rode out the first and made it back to his feet to begin the second but it became clear that Makhachev was more than a match for the 33-year-old in the striking exchanges too.
The Dagestani star made the breakthrough midway through the second as Oliveira looked to set up a flying knee but was caught by a left to the body and a check right hook over the top, flattening him with a heavy knockdown.
Before the former champ could get to his senses, Makhachev was on him in a flash, sinking a nasty head-and-arm choke that Oliveira with no escape.
The tap brought the roof off the Etihad Arena as Khabib and the rest of Makhachev's team spilled into the Octagon to celebrate jubilantly with their man.
Speaking immediately after the fight, Makhachev dedicated the victory to former coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib's father and founder of the gym in which the pair began their journey into mixed martial arts.
“This belt is for my coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Many years ago he told me ‘just train hard and you’ll be champion’. I want to give this belt [to Khabib]. Him and coach, they made me,” he said.
Meanwhile from inside the Octagon, Khabib appeared to set the foundations for an incredible champion-versus-champion superfight against featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski next year.
“Last couple of years, I told you guys. Islam is the best fighter, not just at lightweight, but pound for pound the number one fighter in the world," he said.
“Charles Oliveira is number two pound-for-pound right? He finished Charles. Now our plan is fly to Australia and fight the pound-for-pound king in his back yard, with Alexander Volkanovski. Let’s do it.
“You know we’re going to finish this guy!”
