Islam Makhachev confirmed himself as the undisputed lightweight champion of the world after beating Charles Oliveira by submission in the second round at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The finish from Makhachev (23-1) came at 3:16 in the second round with an arm triangle choke, ending Oliveira's 11-fight win streak.

Makhachev celebrated with revered former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who lifted him into the air. The victory was Makhachev's fifth straight win by submission.

The Russian's ground game combined with his skill and physicality was where he was dominant, despite Oliveira being aggressive on the feet.

Makhachev took down Oliveira twice from three attempts in a fight that barely lasted eight minutes, with the Russian dictating most of it.

"I knew this wouldn't be an easy fight. This guy always pushes," said Makhachev, who was practically preordained as part of 'father's plan' as the heir to Nurmagomedov's throne by his late father Abdulmanap, who coached him until his death in 2020.

"I just want to say, this is my belt for coach Abdulmanap. Many years ago, he told me to train hard and you're going to be champion."

Makhachev's probable next fight will be against UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski, likely in February at UFC 284. Volkanovski, who was in attendance in Abu Dhabi, said "let's do it".

In the fight of the night, rising star Sean O'Malley defeated Petr Yan by a controversial split decision after three rounds in the bantamweight division. Yan completed six of 13 takedowns and had 97 strikes, but O'Malley's were more significant.

Aljamain Sterling retained the bantamweight title after beating former champion T.J. Dillashaw by TKO at 3:44 in the second round. Dillashaw was not aided by a first-round shoulder dislocation.

Dillashaw revealed after the fight he had popped his shoulder 20 times in training and UFC boss Dana White defended the decision to allow him to fight, when he said: "I had no idea. That's a problem. How could the Athletic Commission know if he doesn't tell us. It's not like he came in out of shape or looked injured... that's something he should have told us."

The Paris Saint-Germain jersey worn by Kylian Mbappe when his hat-trick helped humiliate Barcelona could have sold for millions at auction but the French ace simply handed it over as a gift to UFC great Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Mbappe's devastating display of pace, power and clinical finishing crushed Barca in PSG's thumping 4-1 triumph in the opening leg of the Champions League last-16 tie, and left the hat-trick hero as the talk of the football world following one of the most scintillating performances of his glittering young career.

Uncertainty has been circling Mbappe, whose PSG contract expires in June 2022 amid strong links to Real Madrid as well as Liverpool, and the World Cup winner clearly had no intention of making the shirt a centrepiece of his own personal collection following Tuesday's exploits.

Instead, Mbappe presented the jersey to mixed-martial arts star Khabib after the UFC's longest-reigning lightweight champion watched the action unfold from the stands in Barcelona, alongside Leeds United's majority owner Andrea Radrizzani at Camp Nou.

Khabib recently vacated his title and retired from UFC competition, revealing he wants to switch the gloves for boots and give professional football a try after discussing the career change with the likes of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

The unbeaten Russian fighter previously told Match TV: "To play football on a professional level is a childhood dream. Of course, I have such a wish. Football is the king of sports after all."

Mbappe had written a message to Khabib on the jersey, and the man also known as 'the Eagle' was quick to show off his new prized possession to his 27.3million Instagram followers.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.