UFC 280 live stream: how to watch Oliveira vs Makhachev

UFC heads to Abu Dhabi once more on Saturday, with a lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev topping arguably the promotion's strongest bill so far this year. The headline act sees Brazilian star Oliveira aiming to become a two-time UFC champion as he faces Khabib Nurmagomedov's well-regarded Russian protege Makhachev. Read on to discover how to watch a UFC 280 live stream online from anywhere.

Oliveira had been scheduled to be making the third defence of his lightweight title at Saturday's event at the Etihad Arena. Those plans fell to the wayside however, when 'Da Bronx' was stripped of the belt after missing weight for his first-round submission against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 back in May.

Makhachev meanwhile comes into the fight unbeaten in his last 10, with the 31-year-old having suffered just a single defeat in his career.

Alongside the headline act, UFC 280's card also sees Aljamain Sterling defending his bantamweight title against TJ Dillashaw in the co-main event.

Follow our guide below as we explain how to live stream UFC 280 and watch Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev and the rest in the Octagon.

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UFC 280 live stream: how to watch Oliveira vs Makhachev in the US 

See UFC 280 exclusively on ESPN+ PPV
The exclusive rights for US coverage is with UFC on ESPN Plus, meaning it is the one place to watch it. The main card starts at 2pm ET / 11am PT, with Oliveira vs Makhachev expected to enter the Octagon some time from 5pm ET / 2pm PT - depending on the pace of the other fights.

There are three options on cost, which depend on whether or not you already subscribe to the service.

1. Existing ESPN Plus subscribers

If you already enjoy the fruits of ESPN Plus, then it's very straight forward. It's a classic pay-per-view scenario, and you'll need to spend $74.99 to watch UFC 280.

2. UFC 280 + ESPN Plus

If you don't yet subscribe to ESPN Plus, then you can take advantage of the value offer. You'll need to go for the UFC Bundle, costing you $99.98. That gets you both the UFC 280 PPV and a year-long subscription to ESPN+ that would normally cost $60 alone.

3. UFC 280 + Disney Plus/ESPN Plus/ Hulu bundle

Your final option is to buy access to UFC 280and, with it, get one month of access to the Disney Plus Bundle. So that's 30 days of everything on Disney Plus - Marvel, Pixar, The Simpsons, Star Wars and stacks more - the full catalog of live sports and documentaries on ESPN+, and the hundreds of box sets and films on Hulu.

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UFC 280 live stream with the Disney Plus bundle

UFC 280 and one month of the Disney Bundle $88.98
Get your UFC 280 plus a month of sports and entertainment with the Disney Bundle. So, that's your UFC 280 PPV plus a month's access to ESPN+, Hulu and Disney Plus streaming services. It's then $13.99 per month thereafter if you'd like to continue with the streaming package. No contract. Cancel at any time.

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How to live stream UFC 280 without a PPV in Europe

As we say, you're kind of stuck if you're in the US. It's PPV or bust.

Not so in Europe! Instead, it's sports streaming specialist DAZN that has the rights.

So if you're a UFC fan in any of Austria, Italy, Germany or Spain, then get yourself over to the DAZN website.

Depending on your region, DAZN offers Serie A and La Liga football, NFL and whole host of other top rank live sporting content.

How to watch Oliveira vs Makhachev: live stream UFC 280 in the UK

BT Sport has exclusive broadcast rights to UFC events in the UK right now.

This weekend's UFC 280 action is a PPV event, although BT are making the prelims absolutely free on BT Sport 3 at 5pm BST. You can also watch the prelims for free on the network's YouTube channel, website and the BT Sport app.

UFC 280 will be available to watch in its entirety  on BT Sports Box Office in the UK for £19.95. The main card is set to start at 7pm BST with Oliveira and Makhachev expected to make their ring walks after 10pm BST.

The broadcaster's PPV coverage of UFC is also available via the BT Sport app and on its website, so you can live stream UFC on most devices these days.

Oliveira vs Makhachev: live stream UFC 280 in Canada

There are a host of pay-per-view providers offering a Oliveira vs Makhachev live stream in Canada on Saturday.

You can head to the likes of Shaw, Bell, Rogers, SaskTel, Videotron, Telus or Eastlink with pricing at CAD$64.99. It's also available on the UFC Fight Pass PPV.

Tune into the main card from 2pm ET / 11am on Saturday, October 22.

UFC 280 live stream: how to watch Oliveira vs Makhachev online in Australia

As per usual, you'll find UFC 280 and Oliveira vs Makhachev available on PPV in Australia, setting you back AUD$59.95.

The main card is set to kick off at 5am AEDT early on Sunday. Oliveira and Makhachev are expected to make their way toward the Octagon around 8am AEDT.

So to watch the fight, you'll need to sign up via the Foxtel site or Kayo Sports Main Event. Click the link where you can sign up to watch, where you'll then be able to live stream the whole event via your web browser and devices like Android, iOS, Samsung TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Telstra TV and Chromecast.

You can also catch all the prelims and the main card using UFC Fight Pass.

Oliveira vs Makhachev live stream: how to watch UFC 280 in New Zealand

Sky Arenais offering New Zealand viewers a Oliveira vs Makhachev live stream - with the PPV priced at NZ$39.95 for all the main card action.

You'll want to make sure you're watching from at least the 7am NZST main card start time on Sunday, October 23 to get all the action. 

The headline Oliveira vs Makhachev fight is expected any time from 9am NZDT, depending on how the rest of the card plays out.

Oliveira vs Makhachev preview and predictions

So who will be crowned the new lightweight champion on Saturday? 

Oliveira clearly has the big fight experience and of being champ, but the real question is how well will the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu style muster up against Makhachev’s ruthlessly efficient wrestling skills.

If the Russian takes the fight to the floor, there looks likely to be only one winner, with Makhachev our favourite to claim the belt in Abu Dhabi.

Who is Charles Oliveira?

Having climbed his way up the ranks in a number of Brazilian promotions, Oliveira made his UFC debut in 2010, but was initially written off as a middling contender, chalking up an unimpressive 10-8 record between 2012 and 2017.

The 32-year-old went on to elevate his reputation with an eight-fight win streak that earned him a title fight last year against Michael Chandler, taking the opportunity to claim the belt in resounding style with a second round knock out. 

An equally impressive first defence came against Dustin Poirier at UFC 262, before Oliveira would vacate the title ahead of UFC 274 for not meeting weight, but still went on to beat Justin Gaethje.

Oliveira currently holds the record for the most submission wins in UFC history at 16, as well as the most finishes record at 19.

Who is Islam Makhachev?

Born in Makhachkala, in what is now part of the Republic of Dagestan in Russia, Islam Makhachev's combat roots are in samba, a Soviet martial art.

After three years of promising showings in the Russian MMA promotion M-1 Global, he would eventually make the move to the UFC in 2014.

The wrestling specialist marked his debut in the promotion with an emphatic submission win over Leo Kuntz the following year at UFC 187, but faced an early set back after suffering a TKO at the hands of Adriano Martins in his following fight at UFC 192.

The great Khabib Nurmagomedov’s prodigy hasn't looked back since that fight, chalking up 10 consecutive wins to earn him a shot at the title this weekend.

Oliveira vs Makhachev latest odds: who is the favorite to win?

Despite his ex-champ credentials, Oliveira is now coming in as the underdog at 5/4 with most bookies, with Makhachev's odds to take the crown hovering around the 4/7 mark.

Oliveira vs Makhachev: recent results

Stripped of a title before the bout, Charles Oliveira's last fight saw him take out Justin Gaethje in exhilarating style with a submission, despite being taken down twice at UFC 274.

Makhachev' last appearance in the Octagon came at UFC Fight Night 202 in February, with the Russian fighter claiming a first-round TKO win over Bobby Green in dominant style.

UFC 280 full card and highlights

Beyond the much anticipated headline act, UFC 280's co-main event sees Bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling take on former titleholder TJ Dillashaw who makes his return after injury and a ban.

The bill also sees another tasty fight at the same weight as Petr Yan takes on fan favourite Sean O’Malley.

Main card

• Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev - Lightweight title fight

• Aljamain Sterling (c) vs T.J. Dillashaw - Bantamweight title fight

• Petr Yan vs Sean O’Malley - Bantamweight

• Beneil Dariush vs Mateusz Gamrot - Lightweight

• Katlyn Chookagian vs Manon Fiorot - Women’s Flyweight

Preliminary card 

• Belal Muhammad vs Sean Brady - Welterweight

• Makhmud Muradov vs Caio Borralho - Middleweight

• Nikita Krylov vs Volkan Oezdemir - Light Heavyweight

• Zubaira Tukhugov vs Lucas Almeida - Featherweight

• Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs Gadzhi Omargadzhiev - Welterweight

• Armen Petrosyan vs A.J. Dobson - Middleweight

• Muhammad Mokaev vs Malcolm Gordon - Flyweight

• Karol Rosa vs Lina Länsberg - Women’s Bantamweight