Early betting lines suggest the UFC 280 matchup between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev is lopsided, but at least one lightweight contender doesn’t agree.
Former 155-pound champion Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) and Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) are set to headline the Oct. 22 pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi with the vacant title on the line. According to some oddsmakers, Makhachev opened as a sizeable -300 favorite with Oliveira coming back at +250. At Tipico Sportsbook, the odds have since tightened to -205 Makhachev and +155 Oliveira.
Beneil Dariush believes it’s even closer than that.
“It’s so close, man,” Dariush told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m leaning towards Islam, but Charles can pull it off. He’s so aggressive. He can definitely pull off a victory. I know people are calling it an upset (if Oliveira wins), but I wouldn’t consider it an upset. I would say it’s like a pick-’em fight. Because how aggressive Charles is and how defensive Makhachev is, it’s a really intriguing matchup.”
Oliveira, 32, who was stripped of the title in May after missing weight by half-a-pound prior to his submission of Justin Gaethje, is ranked No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings. That placement comes on the strength of an 11-fight streak that includes wins over Kevin Lee, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler to claim gold, a title defense against Dustin Poirier, and Gaethje.
Makhachev, 30, is ranked No. 3 at 155 pounds after a 10-fight streak that includes wins over Thiago Moises, Dan Hooker, and most recently Bobby Green by TKO this past February.
Makhachev, a student of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s, emulates the UFC Hall of Famer’s style of taking down opponents and “smeshing” them with ground and pound. Oliveira, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace who owns the most submissions in UFC history, is well aware of Makhachev’s objective and already has dared Makhachev to take the fight to the mat.
For Dariush, distance will be everything when the two men step in the cage.
“It’s gonna be who finds their distance first and who’s able to implement their game plan,” Dariush said. “When I say distance, for example, Charles is gonna come forward throwing heavy things, but are those heavy things gonna land? For Makhachev, is he going to find the distance to grab him and hold him to make sure he has him in the positions that he wants him. That’s really gonna be the fight – finding your distance to make your moves count.”
Dariush (21-4-1 MMA, 15-4-1 UFC) has a vested interest in Oliveira vs. Makhachev, believing that he is the backup should something happen to either fighter. Dariush, who’s on a seven-fight winning streak, has his own UFC 280 matchup to worry about when he meets Mateusz Gamrot on the main card.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
Beneil Dariush: UFC 280 matchup between Charles Oliveira, Islam Makhachev ‘a pick-’em fight’