The UFC has been without a lightweight champion since May. That’s when the promotion stripped Charles Oliveira of his 155-pound crown. The UFC’s actions came after Oliveira, who won the title at UFC 262 and defended the belt at UFC 269, checked in eight ounces over the 155-pound limit for his matchup opposite Justin Gaethje. Oliveira has the opportunity to regain that belt on Saturday when he faces Islam Makhachev for that vacant title in the main event of UFC 280.
Oliveira joined the UFC in 2010 with a 12-0 record. The then 20-year-old wasted no time in making his presence known. In that matchup, Oliveira submitted Darren Elkins in 41 seconds, earning his first of many submission wins, his first fight-night bonus and put his name in the UFC lightweight record book. More than 12 years later, Oliveira has added some incredible accomplishments to his resume, including winning and defending the UFC lightweight crown.
Makhachev first fought for the UFC in 2015. He joined the promotion with a 12-0 record. After a 1-1 start with the UFC, the protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov began to rack up win after win, rise in the official UFC lightweight rankings and establish himself as a hard to hit competitor with an incredibly heavy and controlling top game on the mat. At UFC 280. the 31-year-old gets his first crack at the title his coach, Nurmagomedov, held from April 2018 until he retired with a 29-0 record in October 2020.
Before Oliveira and Makhachev face off at the top of the UFC 280 pay-per-view card, we look at where the two fighters stand in the UFC record book heading into the event, which streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNEWS.
Charles Oliveira UFC records
| Overall UFC records |
|---|
| Overall UFC records |
| Oliveira ranks first in UFC history with 19 finishes |
| Oliveira ranks first in UFC history with 16 submission wins |
| Oliviera is tied for first in UFC history (with Donald Cerrone) with 18 fight-night bonuses |
| Oliveira ranks second in UFC history with 40 submission attempts |
| Oliveira ranks fifth in UFC history with 21 wins |
| Oliviera ranks ninth in UFC history with 30 total fights |
| Overall UFC lightweight records |
| Oliveira ranks first in UFC lightweight history with 10 submission wins |
| Oliveira is tied for second in UFC lightweight history (with Joe Lauzon) with 13 finishes |
| Oliveira ranks third in UFC lightweight history in submission attempts with 24 |
| Oliviera has the third longest winning streak in UFC lightweight history with 11 straight wins (active) |
| Oliveira is tied for third in UFC lightweight history (with Jim Miller) with 12 fight-night bonuses |
| Oliveria ranks fourth in UFC lightweight history in submission avg. per 15 min. at 3.33 |
| Oliveira ranks fifth in UFC lightweight history in shortest average fight time at 6:00 |
| Oliveira ranks sixth in UFC lightweight history in significant striking accuracy at 54.7 percent |
| Oliviera is tied for eighth in UFC lightweight history (with three other fighters) with 14 wins |
| Oliviera is tied for ninth in UFC lightweight history (with two other fighters) with .83 knockdowns per 15 min. |
| UFC lightweight single fight records |
| Oliveira has the seventh fastest submission in UFC lightweight history at 0:41- UFC on Versus 2 vs. Darren Elkins |
Islam Makhachev UFC records
| Overall UFC records |
|---|
| Overall UFC records |
| Makhachev ranks first in UFC history in fewest strikes absorbed per minute at 0.84 |
| Makhachev ranks 10th in UFC history in takedown defesne ay 65.8 percent |
| Overall UFC lightweight records |
| Makhachev is tied for first in UFC lightweight hstory (with BJ Penn) in takedown accuracy at 66.7 percent |
| Makhachev ranks first in UFC lightweight history in fewest strikes absorbed per minute at 0.79 |
| Makhachev ranks second in UFC lightweight history in significant striking accuracy at 58.9 percent |
| Makhachev ranks fourth in UFC lightweight history in top poisition percentage at 46.1 percent |
| Makhachev ranks fourth in UFC lightweight history with a nine-fight winning streak (current) |
| Makhachev ranks seventh in UFC lightweight history in control time percentage at 52 percent |
| Makhachev is tied for seventh in UFC lightweight history (with five others)for most submission wins with five |
| Makhachev ranks 10th in UFC lightweight history in top position time at 49:12 |
| UFC lightweight single fight records |
| Makhachev ranks sixth in UFC lightweight history in significant striking accuracy at 74.1 percent – UFC 208 vs. Nik Lentz |
