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Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush may decide the subsequent contender for UFC light-weight champion Islam Makhachev. A battle between Oliveira and Dariush is ready for UFC 288 on the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday, May 6.
UFC formally introduced the situation for UFC 288 and several other fights, together with Oliveira vs. Dariush, on Tuesday. Oliveira and Dariush are ranked No. 1 and No. 4, respectively, in UFC’s light-weight rankings. Makhachev is with out a clear contender within the aftermath of his profitable title protection in opposition to featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. The champ has expressed curiosity in preventing each Oliveira and Dariush in numerous interviews, together with on the UFC 284 post-fight press convention.
Oliveira (33-9, 1 NC) will return for the primary time since dropping the light-weight title to Makhachev in October. The loss nipped a high-octane, 11-fight run that included a world title and wins over Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson. UFC’s most potent submission risk has discovered nice energy in his putting, a instrument he has used to knock out opponents outright or daze them to arrange submissions.
Dariush (22-4-1) is in uncommon type today. Dariush, much like Oliveira, was primarily identified for his grappling prowess however has discovered energy and confidence in his arms. His present eight-fight profitable streak is one of the best of his nine-year UFC tenure and contains wins over Ferguson, Mateusz Gamrot, Carlos Diego Ferreira, Drew Dober and Thiago Moises. Dariush makes a powerful argument for being essentially the most deserving challenger for Makhachev proper now and a win over Oliveira ought to make his case bulletproof.
Other notable fights introduced embrace Bryce Mitchell vs. Jonathan Pearce, Kron Gracie’s return from a 43-month layoff in opposition to Charles Jourdain, Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba and Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark.
No important occasion has been introduced for UFC 288.
