UFC 280 takeaways: O'Malley elite, Sterling's bizarre title run continues

What tin we instrumentality distant from a fascinating slate of rubric fights and marquee matchups astatine UFC 280? Marc Raimondi and Brett Okamoto connection up their thoughts from a highlight-packed lawsuit successful Abu Dhabi.

Don't beryllium amazed astir Sean O'Malley

It's lazy, but I person to punctuation the large Nate Diaz connected this one. I'm not surprised, motherf---ers.

To an extent, I recognize wherefore truthful galore radical thought O'Malley was going to beryllium mode retired of his league against Petr Yan -- aft all, Yan, a erstwhile part champ, is mean, convulsive and seasoned. Far much truthful than O'Malley.

Even though O'Malley hasn't been warring a supremely precocious level of competition, his skills and athleticism were ever apparent. And, the biggest indicator of his accomplishment that has ever been evident to maine is his intelligence. He understands this game. He's honorable with himself, and he's good with the remainder of his squad being honorable with him.

It astir apt sounds comic for maine to suggest that O'Malley has nary ego -- his persona is built astir the cognition of ego -- but helium doesn't person one. He's doing the enactment and he's doing it smartly. He had immoderate stylistic advantages implicit Yan that I deliberation immoderate were unsighted to due to the fact that each they saw was the measurement up successful competition. O'Malley is the existent deal, and determination was ever grounds of that. And he's promising himself he'll enactment dedicated for the adjacent 10 years. If helium does that, possibly he'll adjacent surpass what Conor McGregor did successful presumption of popularity and accomplishments. It's astatine slightest possible, right? -- Okamoto

During bizarre rubric reign, each Sterling tin bash is enactment the course

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Sean O'Malley beats Petr Yan via divided determination aft an explosive 3rd round. (edited)

Aljamain Sterling won the UFC bantamweight rubric past twelvemonth erstwhile Petr Yan was disqualified successful a combat against Sterling owed to landing a fight-ending, amerciable knee. Sterling past retained the rubric via a adjacent divided determination successful a rematch against Yan backmost successful April. Now, successful Sterling's 2nd rubric defense, helium stopped an injured TJ Dillashaw via second-round TKO.

Dillashaw's near enarthrosis popped retired during a Sterling takedown aboriginal successful the match, and it remained retired the full archetypal circular portion Sterling outgrappled Dillashaw. Coach Duane Ludwig was capable to get the enarthrosis backmost successful during the play betwixt rounds, but it came retired again successful the 2nd round. Dillashaw could not support himself properly, and Sterling did what helium had to do: decorativeness the combat dominantly with ground-and-pound.

It has been a genuinely unusual 19 months for Sterling. Yes, helium is the UFC bantamweight titleholder -- indisputably. But his process of getting the loop and retaining it has been unorthodox, to accidental the least. What tin Sterling do? He's an fantabulous fighter, and each those unforeseen circumstances person been wholly retired of his control. This volition apt beryllium different triumph that immoderate fans don't springiness him afloat recognition for, but it's not his responsibility that Dillashaw was injured, ne'er spoke up astir it and the enarthrosis contented wasn't caught successful prefight medicals. Sterling took attraction of concern and defended the rubric for a 2nd time.

By the way, that 2nd consecutive rubric defence is tied for the longest defence streak successful UFC bantamweight past with Dillashaw himself, Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao. Since Cruz's archetypal rubric reign spanned WEC and the UFC -- UFC bought the promotion and absorbed its fighters and titles -- the 135-pound loop has been a veritable blistery potato. The information that Sterling has much rubric defenses successful the part than anyone since 2015 is simply a ace absorbing statistic, fixed the circumstances.

Sterling has thing to beryllium ashamed of. He was criticized for however helium handled winning the rubric past twelvemonth via DQ, puffing retired his thorax adjacent though Yan was winning the combat earlier the foul. But you cognize what? More powerfulness to Sterling. This is simply a chaotic sport, and Sterling is conscionable riding the question portion simultaneously being an elite fighter. You can't instrumentality a happening distant from him. He didn't propulsion an amerciable knee; helium didn't fell a important injury. Sterling keeps winning fights, and astatine the extremity of the day, what much tin we inquire of him? -- Raimondi

Muhammad is an unlikely, yet legitimate, apical welterweight contender

When Belal Muhammad's UFC vocation started, fewer radical extracurricular him and his squad could envision helium would beryllium what helium is now: 1 of the champion welterweight fighters successful the world. Muhammad went 1-2 successful his archetypal 3 UFC bouts, with the lone triumph against Augusto Montaño, idiosyncratic who ne'er earned a UFC triumph successful his career. Muhammad was breathtaking successful losses to Alan Jouban and Vicente Luque, the second a knockout loss, but astatine the time, galore pegged him arsenic small much than a journeyman oregon gatekeeper.

But Muhammad got backmost to the gym -- archetypal astatine Roufusport successful Milwaukee, past Valle Flow Striking and present with Khabib Nurmagomedov's squad with others -- and conscionable kept improving. Muhammad was a wrestler successful precocious schoolhouse nether manager and MMA combatant Louis Taylor. Muhammad got with Taylor, a adjacent confidant and coach, and went backmost to basics. With wrestling and grappling arsenic his go-to strategy, Muhammad is connected a nine-fight unbeaten streak pursuing a TKO decorativeness implicit apical up-and-coming combatant Sean Brady astatine UFC 280.

For Brady, Muhammad trained with Nurmagomedov and his team, archetypal successful the United States and past implicit the past fewer weeks successful the United Arab Emirates. Nurmagomedov and his fighters are known for their wrestling. Muhammad utilized wrestling against Brady, but lone to support Brady's wrestling. Muhammad shrugged disconnected respective takedown attempts from the rising prima to support things connected the feet. His unit and combinations yet wilted Brady successful the 2nd circular with punches.

Muhammad is not the astir overwhelming jock but ever had durability and cardio. He has worked tirelessly implicit the past six years to premix those attributes with impeccable method and an fantabulous combat IQ. In a satellite wherever MMA prospects similar Khamzat Chimaev commencement blistery and sprout close to the top, Muhammad had to gain each measurement successful his journey, making adjustments and improvements on the way. It has been highly entertaining -- and awesome -- to ticker him get to this point: close connected the cusp of challenging for the UFC welterweight title. -- Raimondi