THE UFC returns with its biggest and best fight card of the year out in Abu Dhabi on Saturday when Charles Oliveira takes on Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship during prime time for a UK audience.

The bantamweight belt is also on the line on Yas Island, with champion Aljamain Sterling defending the belt against controversial former kingpin TJ Dillashaw.

Brazilian Oliveira, 33, lost the title on the scales in May when he landed half a pound over the 155lb limit. But #1 contender Justin Gaethje paid the price the following night, getting choked out inside the opening round.

Having run through the cream of the division inside a legacy-defining 18-month campaign, next up is Makhachev and his head coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, the one-time boss of the division and pound-for-pound king.

Riding a 10-fight win streak that includes four stoppages in his last four outings, the 31-year-old from Dagestan has carried a ‘future champion’ moniker for some time.

But without a win over anybody ranked in the upper echelons of the division, there are a lot more questions remaining about the 22-1 challenger than the man most fans still consider as the lightweight champion.

Oliveira may have a 33-8 record, but he is unbeaten in his last 11 fights over five years – 10 of which were finishes. In fact, he only required the judges’ opinions four times in his entire career.

He has more finishes (19), and submissions wins (16) than anybody in UFC history and, due to the fact he also gets rocked and dropped in most of his fights, he’s the most exciting fighter in the sport today.

The last time Charles Oliveira was in the red corner vs a wrestler for the vacant LW title pic.twitter.com/4eZrG2PTYB

— Julien🥋 (@JF19109) October 12, 2022

Form suggests Oliveira is on a different level, what with finishes over Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirer and Gaethje in his slipstream. But just because Makhachev hasn’t beaten the very best, doesn’t mean he’s not capable or indeed ready to.

Scheduled fights with ex-champion Rafael dos Anjos and fellow top contender Beneil Dariush failed to materialise in the last 12 months through no fault of his own. And opportunity knocks.

The Russian has got better stand-up skills than his mentor Khabib and is equally as destructive on the canvas. But Oliveira’s current form speaks for itself and make no mistake, the man from Dagestan is making a leap up in class this weekend.

Sterling v Dillashaw

In the co-main event, Dillashaw gets his shot at 135lb gold three and a half years after a doping ban saw him stripped of this bantamweight crown.

After popping for EPO, the Californian based out of Colorado was suspended for two years but returned last summer with a debated split decision victory over Cory Sandhagen to jump right back into contention.

Champ Sterling, meanwhile, out grappled Petr Yan in their rematch in April after he originally captured the belt with an unpalatable disqualification to Yan for an illegal knee back in March 2021.

https://twitter.com/PureKnockouts/status/1581699672292589569?s=20&t=-Cq4OZmohWVr2MWuncYLKw

The 33-year-old New Yorker needed his last performance to silence the critics and has turned hero for this fight against Dillashaw who, following his PED ban, remains firmly the heel.

Dillashaw (17-4) has the punch power and wrestling game to make this a long night for the champion. But Sterling (21-3) is used to being written off and if he can take TJ’s back has the submission skills to end the fight before the final bell.

NICK’S TIPS

The double pays a cheeky 17/2*

*Odds subject to fluctuation. See website for full details.