UFC 280 will feature a five-fight main card that will have UFC bantamweight title match between champion Aljamain Sterling and No. 2 bantamweight T.J. Dillashaw. The event will take place live from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Saturday, October 22. The main card starts at 2 p.m. ET. The Sterling-Dillashaw match will be the co-main event.
Dillashaw (18-4) is a former two-time bantamweight champion and is looking to be the first three-time division champion since Randy Couture. He is a +150 moneyline underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Denver-born Dillashaw has had just two fights over the past three years. He missed two years after being suspended for PED usage.
On January 19, 2019, Dillashaw dropped to the 125-pound flyweight limit to fight Henry Cejudo in a title vs. title match. The belief was that Dana White wanted to do away with the flyweight division and sent Dillashaw to beat Cejudo to close out the division. Instead, Cejudo won in 32 seconds with a vicious TKO.
After the suspension, Dillashaw returned to the octagon to face Cory Sandhagen in a thrilling five-round battle where both men had their moments and many of them. Dillashaw won by a split decision. Verdict MMA scoring system had the fight a dead-even draw.
TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen competed in the first dead even draw in the history of Verdict last year.
This was Dillashaw's first fight back after his 2 year suspension.#UFC280 pic.twitter.com/UmsjCIknkk
– Verdict (@VerdictMMA) October 19, 2022