Will Charles Oliveira win back the UFC Lightweight Championship, or can Islam Makhachev get his hands on the belt? Inform your MMA predictions ahead of the Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev fight with insight, analysis, and odds from Pinnacle.
The vacant UFC Lightweight Championship is on the line as Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev meet at UFC 280. Can Oliveira reclaim the belt, or will Makhachev become the champion? Read on to inform your UFC 280 predictions.
- Event: UFC 280
- Date: October 22, 2022
- Venue: Etihad Arena (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev: Tale of the Tape
|
Charles ‘do Bronx’ Oliveira |
Fighter |
Islam Makhachev |
|
33 |
Age |
31 |
|
178 cm |
Height |
178 cm |
|
70 kg |
Weight |
72 kg |
|
21-8 (1NC) |
UFC record |
11-1 |
|
33-8 (1NC) |
Overall MMA record |
22-1 |
|
53% |
Striking accuracy |
57% |
|
#1 |
UFC ranking |
#4 |
Oliveira won the vacant lightweight title after beating Michael Chandler at UFC 262, and he successfully defended it against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.
Oliveira was stripped of the title at UFC 274
The Brazilian was due to make the second defence of his belt at UFC 274, but he was stripped of the belt after failing to make weight.
Oliveira still won that fight, though, and is now looking to reclaim the title when he faces Makhachev at UFC 280.
Makhachev is yet to hold a title in his career, but he’s worked his way up the rankings after winning 10 fights in a row.Analysing the Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev odds
|
Oliveira |
Makhachev |
|
62.03% |
37.97% |
Makhachev is the 1.555* favourite, with his odds equating to an approximate 62.03% chance of victory. Oliveira can be backed at 2.540*, which translates to a 37.97% chance of winning.
Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev: fighting styles analysed
Oliveira is known for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills, and he tends to lean heavily on them to get his victories.
His most recent win came against Justin Gaethje by submission, extending his record for the most submissions in the history of the UFC (16).
Makhachev is a talented grappler
He often likes to stand and trade punches until he starts taking damage, and that’s when he drops to his back to try and encourage his rival to come and play Brazilian jiu-jitsu on the canvas.
Makhachev is one of the vast number of UFC fighters to hail from Dagestan, and his style is also very defined.
His background lies in sambo, a Russian wrestling discipline that draws on aspects of judo, Japanese jiu-jitsu and boxing.
Former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was a master in the art of sambo, and Makhachev is following the same path.
Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev: where is the value?
It depends largely on how this fight plays out, but an early finish could be on the cards in the main event at UFC 280.
Oliveira and Makhachev are both extremely high-level performers when the fight ends up on the canvas, and it’s difficult to pick them apart.
However, Makhachev is a very able striker, picking up four victories by KO or TKO across his career, but Oliveira also likes to throw a punch, and the Brazilian boasts a three-and-a-half-inch reach advantage.
Makhachev has made easy work of his opponents when climbing through the division, but he hasn’t faced many top-ranked opponents and certainly none on the level of Oliveira.
Oliveira, meanwhile, has taken out Chandler, Poirier, and Gaethje in his last three fights, and he’s worth siding with again at 2.540*.
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