I think we no longer have to discuss the merits of Benil Darius’ title shot.
The longtime lightweight veteran was finished in the first frame by former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira in the pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event UFC 289, which took place this past Saturday. Night (June 10, 2023) at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Watch video highlights here.
The victory put Oliveira back in the winning streak after losing the lightweight title to Islam Makhachev at UFC 280 last October in Abu Dhabi. It remains to be seen if “Do the Bronx” was enough to convince head of promotion Dana White, who has been slow to greenlight an immediate rematch.
Makhachev noted the victory of the Brazilian on Twitter.
The defending champion wrote: “Congratulations Charles.” “But there are still levels in this game.”
Beaten once, Makhachev made his first lightweight title defense by knocking out featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski earlier this year in Perth. The performance earned the Dagestani priest a summer vacation with a tentative return scheduled for an upcoming fall card in Abu Dhabi.
Will Oliveira be his next opponent?
The Do Bronx will face competition from the winner of the UFC 291 main event, as Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje battle it out for the “BMF” belt. In addition, there has been talk of giving Volkanovski another chance to dethrone Makhachev, assuming that “the great” can overtake Yair. Rodriguez at UFC 290 in July.
Hopefully, we’ll get some answers once the dust settles on July 29 in Salt Lake City.
For the full UFC 289: “Nunes vs. Aldana” results and play-by-play, click here here!