Which fighter did Islam Makhachev submit to win the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 280?

Islam Makhachev submitted Charles Oliveira to win the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 280.

The championship became vacant after Oliveira was stripped at UFC 274 for missing weight before his planned defense against Justin Gaethje. That left Oliveira, the former champion, matched with Makhachev for the vacant belt on October 22, 2022, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Makhachev controlled the contest with his wrestling and top position before finishing Oliveira by an arm-triangle choke in the second round. The victory made him the UFC’s 12th lightweight champion and extended the competitive legacy of his coach and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

A common mix-up is confusing the title’s vacancy with a normal defense: Oliveira was not defending the belt at UFC 280. The other listed names were associated with the division’s title picture, but none fought Makhachev for that vacant championship.