Charles Oliveira confirms UFC are planning May title eliminator fight with Beneil Dariush: ‘We’re negotiating’

Former undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira has confirmed negotiations are underway for a May 6. return to the Octagon at UFC 288 – in the form of a title-eliminator clash against surging division contender, Beneil Dariush.

Sao Paulo grappler, Oliveira, who currently boasts the #1 rank in the official lightweight rankings, has yet to return to active competition since October of last year, on that occasion headlining UFC 280 in a vacant title fight opposite Islam Makhachev.

Seeing his 12-fight undefeated run halted, Oliveira suffered a second round arm-triangle submission loss to Makhachev, who in turn, minted himself as the undisputed lightweight champion.

As for Dariush, the surging Iranian-born force returned on that Abu Dhabi, UAE card also, taking on former two-weight KSW champion, Mateusz Gamrot on the same card, securing a unanimous decision triumph.

Confirming recently how the UFC had approached him with a bout against Oliveira, Dariush claimed that a potential title-eliminator between the duo had been postponed and further pushed back. 

Charles Oliveira confirms fight with Beneil Dariush is currently targeted

However, Oliveira has now also confirmed that negotiations for a fight with Dariush for UFC 288 on May 6. have also taken place, and are currently rumbling along.

“It’s true that we are negotiating to face (Beneil) Dariush, who is coming from a gigantic sequence of wins,” Charles Oliveira said through an interpreter during an interview with The Schmo. “My managers Jorge Patino and Diego Lima and taking care of that. As I said in other interviews, that’s a moment where we have think with reason, not emotion. I must fight the one who will take me to the title shot.”

“My plan is [to] figh April or May, and then fight for the belt by the end of the year [against] the winner of (Alexander) Volkanovski and (Islam) Makhachev,” Charles Oliveira explained. (Transcribed by Sherdog)

Winning the vacant lightweight title back in 2021, Oliveira stopped Michael Chandler in a second round TKO success, before submitting Dustin Poirier with a third round rear-naked choke in December of last year.

Prior to his submission loss to Makhachev, Oliveira stopped Justin Gaethje in May of last year in a first round submission win of his own.