*some information courtesy of espn.com/mma

The calling card of the UFC since the beginning of the millennia has been “the best fight the best.”

UFC 280 might be the deepest card the promotion has put on so far this year – as it features essential fights in two of the best divisions: lightweight and bantamweight.

Main Event

In the main event, the vacant UFC lightweight title will be decided in a bout between former champion Charles Oliveira and dominant contender Islam Makhachev, who is trying to bring the title back to Dagestan like his coach and former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Oliveira and Makhachev are, without question, the top two lightweight fighters in the world. Some can poke holes in their résumés, but realistically both are incredible talents in their primes.

Oliveira (33-8, 1 NC) beat Justin Gaethje in his last fight, at UFC 274 last May, but he missed weight before the bout and was stripped of the belt. The stripping of the belt was warranted but it was also extremely controversial; as Oliveira was only half a pound from making weight. Makhachev (22-1) will have Nurmagomedov, the former lightweight champion and UFC Hall-of-Famer, in his corner. Both fighters come into this bout on a combined 21-fight win streak.

For me, I think the most interesting part of this matchup revolves around the stylistic differences in each fighter’s corner. Charles Oliveira is a Muay-Thai specialist in the standup game. Also, Oliveira has some of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills ever seen in MMA. He has the most submission wins in UFC history (16) and is a threat to finish the fight from the top, his back or by isolating a limb or someone’s neck in a scramble. Fighting Charles Oliveira is certainly a very hard task. The “pick your poison” mindset is about the only way you can approach someone as well rounded as him. Oliveira has finished 10 of his last 11 opponents.

Meanwhile, Makhachev, like Nurmagomedov, has shown himself to be a dominant wrestler and grappler, skills he has applied and almost perfected in his climb up the UFC ladder. Makhachev has finished four straight bouts in dominant fashion. Two things to watch in this fight are: pacing and octagon control. (Pacing= speed of the fight. Octagon Control = how well fighters can use the middle of the cage or fence to their advantage.) Something has to give here. Will Makhachev take Oliveira down and test his elite ground skills? Or will Makhachev try his hand on the feet with Oliveira, who has molded himself into one of the most dangerous Muay Thai strikers? Fighting fire with fire is always a reliable option. If I’m Makhachev, I’d avoid panicking and defaulting to my ground game too quickly as Charles is just as good, if not better, on his back. The key for Oliveira is to control the distance and force Makhachev to fight in your comfort zone.

Alexander Volkanovski will serve as backup to the vacant lightweight belt. He will step in if anything should happen to either combatant before they enter the octagon.

Co-Main Event

The bantamweight championship is on the line as defending champion Aljamain Sterling battles former two-time bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw.

Sterling has been one of the more scrutinized champions in the UFC for some time. He won the belt from Yan via disqualification a few years back and some felt Yan won the rematch back in April at UFC 273. It was a close fight, but Sterling deserves his due. He dominated Yan on the ground over vast periods of that bout. A win over Dillashaw, a two-time former UFC bantamweight champion, would add credibility to Sterling’s title reign. Sterling remains underrated and will likely come in with a chip on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Dillashaw has a chance to become the first three-time UFC champion since Randy Couture won the heavyweight title for the third time in 2007. Couture is the only man ever to hold a UFC title over three reigns and Dillashaw will be the second if he beats Sterling.

The biggest thing that stands in the way of Dillashaw upsetting Sterling is the fact that he hasn’t fought much in the past few years; due to knee surgery and suspension from a failed drug test. The question needing to be answered for Sterling revolves around how many times can he be on the back foot and still recover against someone as dominant in the striking game as TJ Dillashaw. The main question for Dillashaw: how much more does the 36 year-old have left in the tank? It will be interesting to find out.

UFC 280 fight odds are as shown:

UFC Lightweight Championship- Oliveira (+160) Makhachev (-190)

UFC Bantamweight Championship- Sterling (-175) Dillashaw (+150)