Former UFC lightweight champ, Charles Oliveira took on Beneil Dariush in the 3-round co-main event of UFC 289. Dariush was on an 8 fight win streak while Oliveira had just lost his title to Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. Hence, despite Oliveira being the no 1 ranked contender in the division, he was in a much worse position in his career.
However, Oliveira was the champ for a reason and it showed in his performance against Dariush at UFC 289. He started the fight with a massive head kick which pushed Dariush to the backfoot. However, the Iranian-American fighter soon got the takedown and they started trading massive shots on the ground with Oliveira being on the bottom.
Charles Oliveira gets it done in one! 😤#UFC289 pic.twitter.com/CC0Lm0NLCO
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) June 11, 2023
It showed that “Do Bronx” meant business and he was not gonna be happy to lay on his back. Oliveira soon got up and started putting the pace on Dariush. In the face of the pressure, Dariush shot for a takedown, but it turned out to be a bad decision as Charles secured the dominant position. He then landed some vicious ground and pound and got rid of Dariush at the 4:10 minute mark of the very first round.
Islam Makhachev downplays Charles Oliveira beating Beneil Dariush
The win against Beneil Dariush (22-5-1) was a big one for Charles Oliveira (34-9). With 22 UFC wins, Oliveira is now third on the list of fighters with the most UFC wins. Not only that, but Oliveira now also holds the record for most finishes in the UFC with 20. He was already the fighter with the most submissions in the UFC with 16. Now he has also extended his lead as the fighter with the most finishes in the UFC.
Charles Oliveira just blew the ROOF OFF in Vancouver 🔥 #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/YV6IrKEHbx
— UFC (@ufc) June 11, 2023
Despite such a glorious night, it does not seem like the lightweight champ Islam Makhachev is impressed with the performance. After his win, Oliveira surprised the fans with his English and revealed that he is ready to go to Makhachev’s backyard once more to win back his title. However, as Oliveira was pleading his case to UFC President Dana White, Makhachev had a keen eye on the bout as well.
After the bout, Islam Makhachev took to Twitter to congratulate Oliveira with a pinch of sarcasm! He wrote, “Congrats Charles. But still there’s levels in this game.” To which Oliveira just responded by yelling, “Who’s the champion” to the Canadian crowd.
Ahead of the bout, the Dagestani fighter revealed that he was rooting for Beneil Dariush to win. As a reason, Makhachev stated that Dariush was a better overall fighter than “Do Bronx.” However, now that Charles has blown Beneil Dariush away, Makhachev may not have any other choice but to accept a bout against the former champ at the upcoming UFC 294, which takes place on October 21, 2023.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think Charles Oliveira can avenge his UFC 280 loss to Makhachev? Let us know in the comments down below.