While many observers might not have agreed with the official result, Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan undeniably put on a show at UFC 280.
O’Malley and Yan received “Fight of the Night” and $50,000 for their spirited bantamweight clash at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. While O’Malley did damage with his rangy standup, Yan blended striking and takedowns effectively throughout the contest. Ultimately, “Sugar” Sean emerged with a contentious split-decision triumph.
Elsewhere, Islam Makhachev captured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus to go with his newly-claimed championship hardware for a submission victory against Charles Oliveira in the evening’s headliner.