Former Champ Charles Oliveira Set To Face Beneil Dariush at UFC 288 In Potential Title-Impacting Bout

Photo: Instagram/Charles Oliveira

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is set to face off against fellow contender Beneil Dariush at UFC 288 in May, in a bout that could have potential title implications.

While a location for the pay-per-view event has not been confirmed, both fighters have signed to make the bout official, with Dariush confirming the agreement recently.

Oliveira, who currently holds the No. 2 spot in the latest USA TODAY SPORTS/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, is looking to bounce back from his recent loss to Islam Makhachev, which ended his 11-fight winning streak.

Photo: Instagram/Charles Oliveira

Although Oliveira won his previous meeting against Justin Gaethje, he lost the title on the scale after weighing in half a pound over the championship limit.

The former champ won the title at UFC 262 and defended it in a submission victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.

Meanwhile, Dariush, ranked at No. 5, has won eight straight fights since 2018, including stoppages of Drew Dober, Frank Camacho, Drakkar Klose and Scott Holtzman, as well as unanimous decision wins over former interim champ Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Gamrot in his two previous appearances.

The highly anticipated bout will likely attract a lot of attention from fans and MMA enthusiasts alike.

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Source: MMA Junkie 

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