UFC® returns to Abu Dhabi on October 22 as Charles Oliveira takes on Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
UFC® 280: OLIVEIRA vs MAKHACHEV, produced by Flash Entertainment, will be the latest event held in the UAE capital as part of a landmark partnership, launched in 2019, between the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation and the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).
UFC® 280: OLIVEIRA vs MAKHACHEV tickets go on general sale at 1pm GST (Gulf Standard Time) on Friday, July 22 at etihadarena.ae and ticketmaster.ae. UFC Fight Club members and those that have registered their interest in the event will have the opportunity to purchase tickets early on Thursday, July 21, at 12pm GST.
Oliveira (33-8-1, fighting out of Sao Paolo, Brazil) will be looking to regain the vacant title after his recent dominant defeat of Justin Gaethje. The Brazilian became champion with a second-round stoppage of Michael Chandler in May 2021, before defending successfully against Dustin Poirier seven months later. Due to Oliveira missing weight, only Gaethje was eligible to take the title when the two met in May this year. Despite this, Oliveira secured a first-round submission win to cement his place at the head of the division’s rankings, extending UFC records for most finishes (19) and most submissions (16) in the process. His sights will be firmly set on taking back the title in Abu Dhabi.
Makhachev (22-1, fighting out of Makhachkala, Dagestan) is already a crowd favourite in Abu Dhabi following bouts with Davy Ramos and Dan Hooker in the UAE capital, in 2019 and 2021 respectively. A product of the famed Nurmagomedov team, Makhachev is on a 10-fight win streak, having stopped Bobby Green in the opening round of his last fight. A gifted ground fighter, Makhachev has 10 submission wins to his name in his professional career and will be looking to add Oliveira’s name to his list to claim the lightweight title in front of what will effectively be a ‘home’ crowd.
October will also see the return of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, a series of events from October 17-23 set to run alongside UFC 280, featuring city-wide activations including fan events, concerts and much more.
This is the fourth event in the five-year agreement between the UFC and DCT Abu Dhabi, which has also seen the hosting of UFC® 242: KHABIB vs POIRIER and UFC® 254 KHABIB vs GAETHJE.
Along with UFC® 267: BLACHOWICZ vs TEIXEIRA, some 11 other events across 2020 and 2021 were safely held in Abu Dhabi during the pandemic, ensuring UFC remained active while much of the world of sport was shut down.
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