Welcome to Midnight Mania!
In case anyone was uncertain, the stakes at UFC 280 are pretty damn high! Well, maybe not for Beneil Dariush, who cannot earn a title shot even if he extends his win streak to eight. Otherwise, however, the Lightweight title will find a new home, and a Bantamweight clash between TJ Dillashaw and Aljamain Sterling will decide the future of 135-pound gold.
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LIVE! Watch UFC 280 PPV On ESPN+ Here!
BLOCKBUSTER LIGHTWEIGHT SHOWDOWN! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Etihad Arena In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sat., Oct. 22, 2022, featuring a highly anticipated match up for the vacant 155-pound title between former division kingpin, Charles Oliveira, against Islam Makhachev, who enter “Fight Island” with a combined 21-fight unbeaten run. In UFC 280’s ESPN+-streamed pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling defends his title against former two-time division roost-ruler, T.J. Dillashaw. Last, and certainly not least, former 135-pound champion, Petr Yan, will lock horns with superstar in the making, “Sugar” Sean O’Malley.
Elsewhere on the main card, former Bantamweight champion Petr Yan will square off opposite rising star Sean O’Malley. It’s a huge step up for the No. 12-ranked O’Malley, and earlier today, UFC President Dana White revealed to Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports that the winner of the bout would receive a Bantamweight title shot (h/t Cole Shelton).
White’s announcements echos O’Malley’s words prior to this. “Suga” has been adamant that he’s just one more win away from the title shot, even considering his most recent result is a controversial “No Contest.”
“I was trying to be humble, but you’re absolutely right. I f—kiing beat Petr, I’m going to be the champ, I’m going to fight for the belt,” O’Malley said on Bisping’s YouTube channel. “That’s what everyone wants. The UFC needs a champion like me. So yeah, you’re 100 percent right. I go out there and starch Petr, he face plants on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi, on a massive card, you’re pretty accurate in saying I’ll get the title shot. Especially with Aljo and T.J. being on that card.”
It’s also worth considering that the favorite Yan could win. He just fought Aljamain Sterling in April, so it would be interesting to see if White upheld his promise if that trilogy bout came up so quickly. Otherwise, a potential Dillashaw vs. Yan title fight could be major fireworks, so no obstacle there.
We’ll have to see how it all shakes out after Saturday night.
Insomnia
One hell of a photo:
I’m going to keep it real, I’ve been friends with Cody Garbrandt for like eight years and had no idea he was a Post Malone fan until this clip.
There have been lots of fighter pay complaints recently, but Welterweight Jake Matthews is not among the unhappy parties.
As a kid from a blue collar part of Melbourne
I believe the @ufc pay is great.
The fighters that complain either don’t win fights
or are looking for a quick money grab & have over valued themselves.— Jake Matthews (@JakeMatthewsUFC) October 14, 2022
A story in two tweets:
You may not like it, but this is what peak MMA performance looks like.
Sparring with Ciryl Gane is a tough gig, good luck getting by those kicks as a smaller training partner!
Slips, rips, and KO clips
UFC veteran Henrique da Silva has a penchant for comeback wins, and he pulled off a big one over the weekend.
Neither man was in there looking to waste time.
It’s been a little while since we’ve had a front snap kick to the belly finish on here. Painful!
Random Land
Trick shot!
Midnight Music: R&B, 2017
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.