UFC 280 LIVE results: Islam Makhachev submits Charles Oliveira to win lightweight title

Follow live reaction as Makhachev claims the vacant lightweight title with a second-round win over former champion Oliveira

UFC 280: Dan Hardy suggests Khabib's presence puts added pressure on Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev submitted Charles Oliveira in the UFC 280 main event on Saturday to win the vacant lightweight title, following in the footsteps of his childhood friend Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Khabib retired unbeaten in 2020, vacating the UFC lightweight strap immediately after retaining it in Abu Dhabi. And it was there that Makhachev won the same belt – almost two years later to the day – submitting Khabib’s literal successor Oliveira to become his fellow Russian’s spiritual successor in the Octagon. Last May, Oliveira won the title vacated by Khabib, and the Brazilian went on to retain it in December. One day before his own scheduled defence against Gaethje this May, however, Oliveira was stripped of the belt after missing weight. Oliveira would submit Gaethje anyway to establish himself as No 1 contender and set up a clash with Makhachev.

That highly-anticipated in-ring meeting played out at the Etihad Arena on Saturday, and it was Makhachev, 31, who came out on top, submitting 33-year-old Oliveira with an arm-triangle choke in Round 2 to win the vacant title. In the co-main event, TJ Dillashaw attempted to battle through a dislocated shoulder in his bantamweight title fight with Aljamain Sterling, but the former champion was largely ineffective and ultimately fell to a second-round TKO loss, as Sterling retained the belt. In the evening’s previous fight, rising 135lbs star Sean O’Malley won a controversial decision against former bantamweight champion Petr Yan. Follow live reaction from UFC 280 below.

UFC 280 LIVE

• Makhachev def. Oliveira via second-round submission (arm-triangle choke, 3:16)
• Sterling def. Dillashaw via second-round TKO (punches, elbows; 3:44)
• O’Malley def. Yan via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Dariush def. Gamrot via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Fiorot def. Chookagian via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Plus all the prelim results as Muhammad stops Brady

[22 October 2022 22:32 · Alex Pattle]

UFC 280 LIVE

[22 October 2022 22:55 · Alex Pattle]

UFC 280 LIVE

Aljamain Sterling (right) retained the bantamweight title with a TKO of TJ Dillashaw (AFP via Getty Images)

[22 October 2022 22:55 · Alex Pattle]

UFC 280 LIVE

Makhachev has now won 11 fights in a row (AFP via Getty Images)

[22 October 2022 22:54 · Alex Pattle]

UFC 280 LIVE

Makhachev dropped Oliveira with a right hook before submitting the Brazilian (AFP via Getty Images)

[22 October 2022 22:54 · Alex Pattle]

UFC 280 LIVE

Islam Makhachev (centre) celebrates with Khabib Nurmagomedov (centre-right) (AFP via Getty Images)

[22 October 2022 22:35 · Alex Pattle]

UFC 280 LIVE

[22 October 2022 22:15 · Alex Pattle]

UFC 280 LIVE

[22 October 2022 22:04 · Alex Pattle]

UFC 280 LIVE

[22 October 2022 22:01 · Alex Pattle]

UFC 280 LIVE

[22 October 2022 22:01 · Alex Pattle]

UFC 280 LIVE