Canadian flyweight Malcolm (X) Gordon returns to Fight Island for UFC 280 bout

Canadian flyweight Malcolm (X) Gordon looks to make it three wins in a row when he faces unbeaten Muhammad (The Punisher) Mokaev at UFC 280 next month.

The card, scheduled for Oct. 22 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, features two title bouts. Brazilian Charles Oliveira takes on Russia’s Islam Makhachev, the No. 4 contender, for the vacant lightweight championship while Aljamain (Funk Master) Sterling defends his bantamweight crown against fellow American T.J. Dillashaw, ranked second among 135-pound contenders.

The 155-pound title was stripped from Oliveira after he failed to make weight for his win over American Justin (The Highlight) Gaethje in May.

Gordon (14-5-0) is coming off wins over Ukraine’s Denys (Psycho) Bondar and Brazil’s Francisco (Sniper) Figueiredo. He was the first Canadian to compete on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, losing his UFC debut by submission to Sweden’s Amir (The Prince) Albazi in July 2021.

Gordon, a 32-year-old from Calgary who now calls Toronto home, is 2-2-0 in the UFC.

Mokaev (8-0-0 with one no-contest) has won both of his UFC fights to date, defeating Americans Cody Durden and Charles (InnerG) Johnson. The Russian-born Mokaev now fights out of Manchester, England.

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2022