UFC 280 press conference LIVE: Latest updates as Charles Oliveira and Sean O’Malley speak in London
Re-live updates after Oliveira and O’Malley previewed their huge upcoming fights with Islam Makhachev and Petr Yan respectively
The first press conference for UFC 280 took place today, as Charles Oliveira and Sean O’Malley travelled to London to preview October’s seismic Abu Dhabi fight card.
In the main event of UFC 280 in three months’ time, Oliveira will fight Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title, while O’Malley faces his biggest bantamweight test yet as he goes up against former champion Petr Yan. Elsewhere on the card, Belal Muhammad clashes with Sean Brady at welterweight, and Muhammad joined Oliveira and Makhachev at the O2 Arena today, moments before the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC London – which takes place on Saturday.
Oliveira was stripped of the UFC lightweight title in May for missing weight, one day before his scheduled defence against Justin Gaethje. The Brazilian submitted Gaethje in the first round but was ineligible to win back the belt, instead establishing himself as No 1 contender. Meanwhile, O’Malley is one of the UFC’s most popular young fighters, and his incrementally tougher in-ring assignments have suddenly given way to a huge fight with ex-champ Yan. Oliveira vs Makhachev, O’Malley vs Yan, and Muhammad vs Brady were all announced this week, and three of those fighters previewed their upcoming bouts this afternoon. Re-live updates from the UFC 280 press conference, below.
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UFC London weigh-ins LIVE
Now we have Swedish featherweight Makwan Amirkhani... who makes weight at 145.5lbs! He’s set to face Jonathan Pearce tomorrow.
UFC London weigh-ins LIVE
The two-hour weigh-in window has begun.
First up is Briton’s Nathaniel Wood, who is moving from bantamweight up to featherweight... and he hits the scales at 145.5lbs! On weight!
Next up is Chris Curtis ahead of his co-main event against Jack Hermansson. The American middleweight comes in at 186lbs! On weight.
UFC London weigh-ins LIVE
Fighters will hit the scales today as they attempt to make weight ahead of Saturday’s UFC London card, which takes place just four months after the MMA promotion’s last visit to the English capital.
Paddy Pimblett, the Liverpudlian fan favourite who is known to balloon in weight between fights, will be among the names tipping the scales, as will headliner Tom Aspinall, who is preparing for a heavyweight clash with Curtis Blaydes. While “Paddy The Baddy” and lightweight opponent Jordan Leavitt traded barbs at Wednesday’s media day, Wigan fighter Aspinall and American Blaydes have been cordial to one another thus far. Elsewhere, Pimblett’s fellow Scouser Molly McCann will be in action on Saturday, while former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson adds some extra prestige to the card at the O2 Arena.
Meanwhile, the co-main event sees Jack Hermansson go head to head with American Chris Curtis, who steps in for injured Liverpudlian Darren Till to take on the Swedish-born Norwegian. After fighters have partaken in the official weigh-ins in Canary Wharf this morning, they will take part in the ceremonial weigh-ins later in the day, when fans gather to cheer them on at the O2.
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