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UFC 280, which goes down from Abu Dhabi this weekend, is, on paper at least, one of the most stacked events in a long time.
Not only does UFC 280 feature two title bouts at the top of the card as well as some other key fights, even the undercard is remarkably loaded by today’s standards.
With a number of fighters competing this weekend who could end up in title contention in the future, this is a show worth watching from the opening fight all the way to the headliner.
Here are five undercard fights well worth watching at UFC 280: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev.
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#5. UFC featherweight bout: Lucas Almeida vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
Zubaira Tukhugov might be better known as one of the teammates of Khabib Nurmagomedov who attacked Conor McGregor in their infamous brawl following their clash at UFC 229, but in fact, he’s been around the octagon for a long time now, dating back to February 2014.
Over that time, he’s proven himself to be a highly dangerous and talented fighter, running up a record of 5-2-1, and both of those losses came via split decision.
Realistically, the only reason he’s never ascended into the rankings at 145lbs is the fact that he’s fought so sporadically, with a positive drug test in 2016 being largely responsible.
This weekend marks Tukhugov’s first bout in almost a year, and he’s hardly been matched with a softball. Brazil’s Lucas Almeida has only fought in the octagon once before, but he impressed hugely in that bout, a nasty third round TKO of former TUF winner Mike Trizano.
So can Almeida – who has never gone the distance in any of his 14 wins – dispatch a much more seasoned foe this weekend? It definitely won’t be easy, but given the past performances of both he and Tukhugov, this fight is likely to guarantee fireworks – and could be an outside bet to win the Fight of the Night award.
#4. UFC middleweight bout: Makhmud Muradov vs. Caio Borralho
One fight at UFC 280 that could be genuinely outstanding is the middleweight tilt between Makhmud Muradov and Caio Borralho. Neither man has the biggest name right now, but they both have the talent to ascend to the top of the 185lbs division.
Of the two, it’s arguable that Muradov has more hype behind him. Sure, the native of Uzbekistan fell to wily veteran Gerald Meerschaert in his last fight this August, but prior to that, he’d dispatched both Andrew Sanchez and Trevor Smith in highlight reel fashion, claiming $50k bonuses for both wins.
Essentially, ‘Mach’ is a wildly explosive striker with the ability to switch off the lights on his opponents at any time, and he’s open to throwing low-percentage shots with little warning too.
Borralho, on the other hand, hasn’t picked up a big finish in his octagon career to date. However, he is 2-0 thus far, and most recently outpointed the talented Armen Petrosyan.
‘The Natural’ is basically the polar opposite of his opponent here. Where Muradov is an explosive striker, Borralho is all about grappling. While he does have more TKO’s than submissions on his ledger, from what he’s shown in the octagon thus far, he’s desperate to ground his opponents to work them over.
Given that Muradov fell to Meerschaert on the mat, Borralho could prove to be a trickier out for him than one might first expect, but it’s probably fair to make ‘Mach’ the favourite here. With that said, either way this one should guarantee excitement, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the winner climb into contention in the near future.
#3. UFC light heavyweight bout: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Nikita Krylov
While it isn’t likely to produce a title contender – both men have already been there and done that and are probably on their way down now – the light-heavyweight clash between Volkan Oezdemir and Nikita Krylov could easily steal the show at UFC 280.
In fact, it’s a surprise to see both men placed on the preliminary card, as they can usually be found on the main card, and Oezdemir has of course headlined numerous shows for the promotion over his six-year career with them.
Recently, though, ‘No Time’ has struggled somewhat. After impressing in his 2019 win over the highly touted Aleksandar Rakic, Oezdemir suffered back-to-back losses to Jiri Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev, and only edged past Paul Craig in July.
However, it could be argued that Prochazka and Ankalaev are the best two 205lbers in the world right now, so perhaps it’s unfair to write off the Swiss fighter based on his losses to them.
Krylov, on the other hand, has been wildly inconsistent for a while now, basically dating back to his UFC return in 2018.
He’s won three bouts, but has lost four, and while he’s pushed the likes of Ankalaev and Glover Teixeira hard, the knock on him is still that he tends to slow down and get sloppy. However, he is coming off the biggest win of his career, over Alexander Gustafsson in July.
Who will win this one? It’s very hard to say given the inconsistent form of both men, but if the fight goes how Krylov’s bouts tend to, it’s likely to produce a fun, if sloppy clash that could be a Fight of the Night contender.
#2. UFC flyweight bout: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Malcolm Gordon
While it’s not a surprise to see him flying under the radar on a show as stacked as UFC 280, Muhammad Mokaev might well be one of the best prospects to hit the promotion in some time.
Just 22 years old, Mokaev is 8-0 in MMA and already has two wins in the octagon, defeating Cody Durden and Charles Johnson in the UK – his adopted country after arriving there as a refugee at the age of 12.
From what we’ve seen so far, while he calls the UK his home, ‘The Punisher’ fights like a classic product of Dagestan, looking to throw his opponents around with slams and suplexes before hunting for submissions on the ground.
Based on this, it’s hardly surprising that Mokaev has called former UFC lightweight contender Rustam Khabilov his role model in the sport.
Can Mokaev get past Malcolm Gordon this weekend? At 14-5, ‘X’ has more experience than his foe and is coming off two octagon wins, but he’s also never displayed the kind of grappling talent that ‘The Punisher’ has.
Overall, this could be a one-sided fight in favor of Mokaev, but given his high ceiling and the fact that flyweight isn’t the deepest division in general, it should be one to keep an eye on regardless.
#1. UFC welterweight bout: Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Brady
There’s no doubt that the undercard fight that fans need to keep an eye on the most at UFC 280 is the welterweight bout between Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady.
Not only could this fight grace most main cards, it’s probably good enough to headline a Fight Night show – and the fact that it’s on the preliminary card this weekend shows the sheer depth of the event overall.
Both men are currently ranked in the top ten at 170lbs, but it’s the more experienced Muhammad who is higher at #5. ‘Remember The Name’ is on a lengthy unbeaten run of eight fights dating back to early 2019, and he’s used his powerful wrestling, strong clinch and underrated striking to beat Demian Maia, Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque.
Brady, though, is perhaps the most underrated welterweight on the roster right now. 15-0 in MMA overall with five wins in the octagon, nobody has been to solve the riddle that his powerful grappling poses, and on the ground, he’s a monster, with the ability to both control his foes and submit them.
Given that both men will be hunting for the takedown here, it’s likely that whoever comes out on top in the wrestling department will win, and it’s almost an impossible fight to call. One thing is for sure, though – the winner will be a bonafide welterweight title contender, meaning this fight should not be missed.
