Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev will clash for the vacant UFC lightweight title at Oct. 22's UFC 280 event.
The announcement was made Saturday during the UFC Long Island broadcast.
UFC 280 will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, and Oliveira-Makhachev will headline the card.
The 32-year-old Oliveira won the vacant UFC lightweight title in a second-round technical knockout win over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in May 2021.
He followed that up with a successful defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 in December 2021, winning by third-round submission, but that would prove to be his final defense.
Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev : Date and Time
UFC 280 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 22 and is being held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
The prelim action will start at 3pm for UK fans with the main card getting underway from 7pm. Oliveira vs Makhachev can then be expected at around 10:15pm.
What has been said?
Oliveira: “I’m going to shock the world yet again… Well, opinions are subjective and some people believe that I would be a potential winner, he would be a potential winner.
“But I’m gonna show that my history, my background, the number of fights I’ve had, my contenders, these will come to show on that very night. In this sense, I’ll shock the world because people will change their opinion about this.”
But Makhachev’s teammate and UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t think Oliveira stands a chance: “I think Islam is more skilled than Oliveira.
“Secondly, his experience as an amateur fighter. Also, he’s at his peak. Islam is at his peak. Islam isn’t 23, 26 or 27. He’s 30. A week after the fight, he’ll be 31.
“It’s the best time for any athlete. It’s a time when your mental and physical state should be in synergy. Sometimes your mental state is high, but your physical state is going down.
“Or when you’re 27 and at your physical peak, but mentally you’re not there yet, because you’re just 27, not 31. And Islam is at his peak. I think Islam is better overall.
“Of course, there are some potential dangers that we’re working on where Islam needs to be careful. Other than that, Islam should roll over him.”
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