Charles Oliveira is finally set to make his return.
The former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira announced Tuesday on his Instagram that he will be fighting MMA Fighting’s No. 4-ranked lightweight Beneil Dariush in a pivotal 155-pound matchup at UFC 288 on May 6. MMA Fighting has since confirmed that contracts have been signed for the matchup.
“Now it’s official, on May 6th let’s get it! UFC 288, the lightweight lion is hungry and ready to hunt.”
A matchup between Oliveira (33-9, 1 NC) and Dariush (22-4-1) has be rumored for weeks, with Dariush previously confirming that the UFC was targeting the fight for this summer, but saying that they were having a hard time confirming a date. Dariush is currently on an eight-fight winning streak, most recently winning a unanimous decision over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280.
That event is also the most recent time fans have seen Oliveira compete, with “Do Bronx” losing the lightweight title to Islam Makhachev in the main event. Prior to that defeat, Oliveira had won 11 straight fights, 10 by way of stoppage.
UFC 288 is set to be headlined by the recently announced bantamweight title fight between current champion Aljamain Sterling and former two-division champion Henry Cejudo. An official location has yet to be announced.
