Charles Oliveira opens as betting favorite over Alexander Volkanovski after stunning UFC 289 win

Off the back of his stunning first round stoppage victory at UFC 289 over the course of the weekend, former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira has opened as a decent betting favorite to defeat featherweight kingpin, Alexander Volkanovski – as bookies take money on a potential fight between the duo.

Oliveira, who defended his status as number one contender at 155 pounds in the co-main event of UFC 289 over the course of the weekend, managed to turn in his stunning twentieth stoppage victory under the promotion’s banner, taking out the surging contender, Beneil Dariush with a barrage of first round ground strikes in Vancouver, Canada.

And as for Volkanovski – pre-occupied with a featherweight title unification fight against interim gold holder, Yair Rodríguez next month atop a marquee UFC 290 card, most recently suffered his first Octagon defeat against common-foe, Islam Makhachev in February of this year.

And off the back of his roughshod run through Dariush in the co-main event of UFC 289, Charles Oliveira has opened as a sizeable -140 betting favorite on many markets to defeat the +120 betting underdog, Volkanovski. 

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A former featherweight himself, Oliveira came closest to securing a title shot at the weight class back in 2016 – suffering a guillotine choke submission loss to former lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis in a pivotal divisional clash.

However, striking eventual gold back in 2020, Oliveira managed to win the vacant lightweight title in a rallying performance against Michael Chandler – stopping the Missouri veteran with a stunning second round KO.

Defending the lightweight title just once, Charles Oliveira submitted former interim gold holder, Dustin Poirier with a standing rear-naked choke in December of that year.

And despite dropping his championship to the scales in May of last year at UFC 274, Charles Oliveira continued his undefeated run with a first round submission win over title challenger, Justin Gaethje in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Setting up his unsuccessful lightweight title siege against Makhachev back in February with a third career win over common-foe, Max Holloway in July of last year during International Fight Week, Volkanovski fell short in his bid to beat the Russian and become a two-weight champion held simultaneously. 

Turning in a record-setting performance against Dariush in ‘The Great White North’ over the course of the weekend, Charles Oliveira landed a jaw-dropping nineteenth post-fight bonus with his TKO stoppage – landing a Performance of the Night bonus. 

Ahead of the fight, Sao Paulo grappler, Oliveira had already separated himself as the most prolific submission artist in Octagon antiquity, and the outright pacesetter for stoppage wins in the history of the UFC. 

Eyeing a title rematch with Makhachev himself before the close of the year, Charles Oliveira has been touted as the rightful contender to the throne next by UFC leader, Dana White to boot – which is sure to help the Brazilian’s claim for a championship chance next time out.