Main Card at Special Start Time 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV – Prelims on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ at 10 a.m. ET
Encore Presentation of the PPV Main Card Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ –To subscribe visit ESPNPlus.com/UFC
UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev, featuring one of the best collections of matchups this year, including lightweight and bantamweight title bouts, will be live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE this Saturday, October 22 at a special start time, 2 p.m. ET, exclusively on ESPN+ PPV (English and Spanish). The Prelims will air on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (English and Spanish) at 10 a.m. ET. Live coverage begins on Friday with UFC Live presented by DraftKings Sportsbook: Oliveira vs. Makhachev at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, providing fans with exclusive insights and views heading into Fight Night. In addition to the live stream, ESPN+ will offer an encore presentation of the PPV card on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.
In the main event, the vacant UFC lightweight title will be decided in a bout between No. 1 ranked contender Charles Oliveira (33-8) and No. 4 Islam Makhachev (21-1). Former champion, Oliveira looks to reclaim the title after he was stripped of it due to missing weight ahead of his clash with Justin Gaethje in May. He’s coming with an 11-fight win streak and is the current holder for most submission victories and most finishes in UFC history. Makhachev sits one behind Oliveira in the consecutive wins department heading into Saturday’s main event and is riding a 10-fight win streak.
The co-main presents a bantamweight title battle as current champion Aljamain Sterling (21-3) faces No. 2 ranked TJ Dillashaw (18-4). Sterling, who’s coming with a seven-fight win streak, will defend his title for the second time. Dillashaw is a two-time former champion and if he can reclaim the bantamweight title, he would be the second fighter in UFC history to claim the same belt on three separate occasions.
The PPV portion of the event will also feature another anticipated bantamweight matchup between No. 1 ranked Petr Yan (16-3) and No. 11 Sean O’Malley (15-1). This is a battle between one of the best fighters in UFC and a fan-favorite who’s known to provide dazzling performances and highlight reel finishes.
Jon Anik will call the action, alongside Paul Felder and former two-division Champion and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier. Megan Olivi will handle reporting duties. All coverage in Spanish will be handled by Troy Santiago, Brandon Moreno and Santiago Ponzinibbio.