What mattered most at UFC 280 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi? Here are a few post-fight musings …
5. REMEMBER THE NAME!
If you don’t like Belal Muhammad – fine. But it’s high time everyone starts to not just “Remember the Name,” but respect the name as a legitimate welterweight title threat after he put on the performance of a lifetime against Sean Brady.
Muhammad (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) brought Brady’s perfect run in MMA competition to a screeching halt with a second-round TKO in their anticipated featured prelim bout. He’s now undefeated in his past nine contests, and he’s firmly entrenched as one of the very best in the division.
For Muhammad to get this finish was a massive statement, and he belongs up there with the very best, and should get nothing short of a title eliminator. Whether it’s Colby Covington, Khamzat Chimaev, or Gilbert Burns – Muhammad deserves to fight ahead in the rankings.
4. Fair or foul on Sean O'Malley's win?
Sean O'Malley got the biggest win of his career against Petr Yan in the featured bout, but was it the right call by the judges? I could see an argument for both sides, honestly.
For those crying “ROBBERY,” it was not that. I’ll say it time and time again that close fights aren’t robberies, and this was a close fight. Both men had their moments and it was tit-for-tat. Yan won the second round for most; O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) won the third. The opening frame was the decider, and two of three judges gave O’Malley the split decision.
Regardless of how things were scored, one thing we can say for sure is that O’Malley proved he’s worthy of being at the highest tier of the bantamweight division. He didn’t get outclassed in this fight by any stretch of imagination, and that’s truly the biggest takeaway from this fight.
Is O’Malley good enough to dethrone Aljamain Sterling as champion? I’m not willing to count him out after how he performed in this significant step up. And there’s no doubt this experience is going to make him a better fighter going forward. Let’s see what happens.
3. How to feel about Aljamain Sterling's defense?
Aljamain Sterling just can’t catch a break. In recent years, there’s something that seems to surround his victories that prevents you from feeling 100 percent great about it, and the majority of the time it’s not by his own doing.
No one can blame Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) for the fact T.J. Dillashaw came into their bantamweight championship fight with a pre-existing injury that seemingly took him out of the contest from the very first exchange. Sterling did what he had to do, though, and dominated his disabled foe en route to a second consecutive defense of the belt.
No matter how you feel about him, though, Sterling is unquestionably very good. His eight-fight winning streak – which is the longest in the history of the weight class – is proof to that manner. He has the belt, and sits atop arguably the most stacked weight class in the entire spot.
Whether Dillashaw was compromised or not, Sterling’s grappling was going to be a problem, and will be for pretty much any contender that comes to him going forward. There are multiple options for his next fight, but it feels like the reign really starts now.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sterling hold on to this belt for some time, honestly. I like how he matches up with a lot of the contenders, and it’s going to be interesting to see how things unfold for him going forward.
2. The Islam Makhachev era begins
Islam Makhachev had little trouble delivering on his promise to stream roll Charles Oliveira and claim the vacant lightweight title, and now he’s at the top of the division where many people have expected him to be for some time.
Since his friend, mentor, coach Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA almost exactly two years ago, Makhachev (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) has been touted to the heir apparent to the belt. He had to put in the work to get there, but four fights in 19 months put him in position to accomplish the feat.
Khabib himself openly stated in the aftermath of Makhachev’s second-round submission of Oliveira that his pupil is a better fighter than he ever was. Yes, Makhachev has the blemish on his record that Nurmagomedov never had, but it might still be true.
It seems like Makhachev is poised to make a serious run as champion in this division, but can he separate himself from the pack of the 11 undisputed titleholders who came before him? In order to do that, he would need to exceed the record of three consecutive title defenses, which is shared by Nurmagomedov, Benson Henderson, Frankie Edgar and B.J. Penn.
That might not seem like a lot, but the fact no one has surpasses that mark shows the volatile nature of the 155-pound division. If Makhachev can be the man to do it, he would truly have a legacy that is unique in a sport where it’s becoming harder and harder to stand out.
1. Alexander Volkanovski will have something to say
Despite every word of praise I just heaped on Makhachev being both warranted and accurate, it’s entirely possible he doesn’t log a single title defense. And that’s because his first challenger is expected to be a man who has the tools to be a more difficult test for him than anyone in the lightweight rankings.
That man is Alexander Volkanovski, the current UFC featherweight kingpin who intends to move up in weight this February to challenge Makhachev for champ-champ status in the headliner of UFC 284 in Perth.
Not only is Makhachev’s first defense expected to come against a fighter whom many consider to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport right now, but he’ll go into Volkanovski’s (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) back yard of Australia to do it. That’s a gigantic ask, and although he seems quite excited by it, there’s a chance he’s biting off more than he can chew.
There will be plenty of time to analyze the Makhachev vs. Volkanovski matchup with a fine tooth comb in the coming months if the fight gets made, but my initial impressions are it feels like a coin toss. Makhachev’s size and strength will be a key advantage, but Volkanovski’s speed, versatility, durability and unshakable confidence make him a hell of a threat, too.
As great as Makhachev is, it wouldn’t surprise me to see his time on top end in five months. However, I wouldn’t be taken off guard either if he made another huge statement against Volkanovski and opened more eyes to the true depth of his talents.
Either way, this potential champ-vs-champ fight will be massive for the legacy of both athletes.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
