UFC 280: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev Preview, Odds, Prediction

The bout between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev is the main event at Saturday’s UFC 280. It is also one of the biggest bouts of the entire year, and just to remind you, 2022 had plenty of fantastic matchups. The stake is the UFC lightweight belt, which Oliveira previously held. Though, the Brazilian missed weight before his last battle, and the organization stripped his title. For many, that was too harsh of a decision. Meanwhile, Makhachev is one of the fastest-rising stars in the UFC and has been calling out the champion for a while. This is a perfect chance for him to put the money where his mouth is.

Preview

Charles Oliveira (+160) lost the belt despite solving Gaethje in the first round via rear-naked choke. He opened the bout a bit slower, but as soon as he got the chance to get his hand on the American, it was over. Yes, we do know that Justin isn’t a great grappler, but Do Bronx’s incredible strength is way impressive.

This was the 11th consecutive win for the Brazilian, his 16th submission in the UFC and 19th finish, improving his record in these two categories. There hasn’t been a more dominant grappler than Oliveira, who has ten finishes during his current victorious streak.

Fantastic cardio and unreal grappling are his main strength. Also, we need to add that Oliveira has a long reach and his limbs are lengthy, which is another factor why it is hard to reach him and why he solves the rivals quickly once he gets ahold of them.

Islam Makhachev (-190) has 10 wins in a row and is a favorite here. Though, his rivals haven’t been anywhere near Oliveira’s. The biggest name in Islam’s bio is Dan Hooker, and the other notable ones are Drew Dober, Thiago Moises, and Bobby Green.

He, too, is extremely strong from the near battle, having ten wins via submission and eight by a decision, which were mostly fought through his excellent wrestling. We don’t need to remind you that his mentor and best friend is Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguably the most dominant lightweight in the UFC.

Makhachev is a stubborn guy who can grind all the time before he wears out the rivals and then either submits them or simply makes them inferior and unable to respond until the final horn. That’s how he collected decision wins. Though lately, Islam has had four straight finishes, proving that his form is rising.

Prediction

To be honest with you, seeing Islam as a favorite is a bit odd, especially with him sitting at -190. Oliveira was a very dominant champion, solving guys like Michael Chandler, Poirier, Gaethje before that, Tony Ferguson. Do Bronx had several fights like this one and has more experience, which we can’t say for Islam, who wasn’t adequately tested in the past. Our pick here is Oliveira because we think Islam doesn’t have the experience to win this battle. As said, the biggest name in his CV was Dan Hooker, while Oliveira beat all the best challengers in recent times.

Pick: Oliveira +160