Oliveira vs Makhachev Prediction

• Where: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• When: Saturday, October 22, 10 pm ET

Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev will meet at the upcoming UFC 280, in the night’s main event. Their clash will decide the new UFC lightweight champion because, for the moment, the throne is vacated. Oliveira was the champ until his last fight when he faced Justin Gaethje and missed weight. The organization stripped him of the title, and the belt ended in no man’s land. Still, Dana White thought that the fair thing to do was to bring Oliveira back and pair him with one of the top contenders in the division, and the guy waiting for his chance to attack the throne, Islam Makhachev.

Oliveira vs Makhachev Preview

Oliveira

Do Bronx didn’t have any trouble in finishing Gaethje, but missed weight was something that prevented him from coming back home with a belt. After a start in which Gaethje had some initiative, things fell into its place pretty quickly, and Oliveira beat the American with a rear-naked choke.

He extended the UFC record of 19 finishes and 16 submissions, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest in the organization. Prior to this one, Oliveira defended the title with a win over Dustin Poirier, also via rear-naked choke, and won the belt against Michael Chandler with a second-round TKO.

Oliveira has 11 straight wins, and during this streak, he defeated guys like Tony Ferguson, Kevin Lee, Clay Guida etc. We don’t need to say too much about his style of fight. His long and slick frame allows him to counter all the shots well, but punching isn’t his favorite discipline but grappling. The length of his limbs, mixed with fantastic cardio, provide incredible grip, from which even the best wrestlers or grapplers couldn’t escape.

Makhachev 

For the moment, Islam is No.4 in the lightweight rankings, but for many, he is better than that. After losing the UFC debut against Adriano Martins via TKO, he went on to win ten straight and rise up on the rankings. We need to say that Makhachev didn’t have sounding rivals like Oliveira. 

His last four triumphs were all by finishes – against Drew Dober, Thiago Moises, Dan Hooker, and Bobby Green, the latter two in the first round. Islam also holds wins over Arman Tsarukyan, Davi Ramos, and Gleison Tibau.

Like Oliveira, he too likes a close fight, and 10 of his 22 wins came by submission. He is a typical wrestler from southern Russia, which is no wonder because Islam’s sparing partner and one of his closest friends is Khabib. Therefore, we don’t need to explain his fight style anymore.

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UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev Prediction

Only because of his history and more prominent names, Oliveira is our favorite for us. He encountered the biggest names in the UFC, much greater than Islam, who didn’t have a chance to meet a rival of Oliveira’s caliber before. That experience is the sole reason why we pick Do Bronx here.

Our verdict: Oliveira wins

UFC 280: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev Odds