UFC 280: Prelims to Watch
UFC 280 is arguably the best card of 2022. Not only does it have two title fights, but the entire card is stacked with great fights. The UFC 280 prelims are so good that they look more like a fight night card than prelim fights. The prelims feature a good mix of ranked talent and UFC prospects. Let’s take a look at the best fights on the UFC 280 prelims.
No. 5 Belal Muhammad vs No. 8 Sean Brady- Welterweight
Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady will fight in the featured prelim at UFC 280 — understandably because they are the No. 5 and No. 8 ranked welterweights, respectively. Muhammad and Brady are both in the middle of incredible streaks. Muhammad has won seven of his last eight fights, including wins over Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson, and Demian Maia. The only fight that he was not victorious in was his no-contest against Leon Edwards. Meanwhile, Brady has a perfect record of 15-0 with five of those victories coming in the UFC. His resume is headlined by wins over Michael Chiesa and Jake Matthews.
This fight will give Brady the opportunity to prove that he is a legit contender in the welterweight division. At 29 years old, he is considered one of the better up-and-coming contenders in the UFC. A win over Muhammad would prove that he deserves the praise. An even more important aspect of this fight is that the winner will get a massive opportunity in the welterweight division. The winner will enter the elite portion of the welterweight rankings and could find themselves fighting another elite opponent in the future.
No. 8 Volkan Oezdemir vs No. 10 Nikita Krylov- Light Heavyweight
Volkan Oezdemir and Nikita Krylov are the other ranked fighters on the UFC 280 prelims, sitting at No. 8 and No. 10 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.
Both fighters are coming off great wins in their last bout. Oezdemir is coming off a dominant decision victory against Paul Craig while Krylov knocked out Alexander Gustafsson in the first round. This fight should be an entertaining bout and the winner will be one step closer to the light heavyweight top five. This is one to watch.
Muhammad Mokaev vs Malcolm Gordon- Flyweight
At UFC 280, Muhammad Mokaev finds himself in a prelim to watch for the second time. The first came at UFC Fight Night 208. In that bout, he controlled Charles Johnson for the majority of the fight and walked away with a decision victory, which moved Mokaev to 7-0 professionally and 2-0 in the UFC. At just 22 years old, Mokaev is the best prospect in the UFC flyweight division. That in of itself makes this a fight to watch.
At UFC 280, Mokaev will fight Malcolm Gordon. Gordon is not a tremendous fighter, but he has turned things around as he has won his last two fights. A win against Gordon would not establish Mokaev as an elite fighter, however, it is a good step up in competition at this stage in his career.
Caio Borralho vs Makhmud Muradov- Middleweight
This UFC 280 prelim bout between Caio Borralho and Makhmud Muradov is a good fight. Borralho has proven to be one of the best prospects in the UFC middleweight division. Since joining the UFC after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Borralho has gone 3-0 in the UFC. He has impressed in all three of these bouts. In terms of opponent, Borralho is making a solid jump forward. Muradov has been impressive in the UFC as he has compiled a 3-1 record in the promotion. His only UFC loss came to veteran Gerald Meerschaert. I am interested to see if Borralho continues to impress. If he can, he will be fighting a ranked opponent soon.
