In only three weeks, the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, will host the next significant UFC event. Charles Oliveira just withdrew from his fight because of an injury, which diminished a significant bit of the appeal of UFC 288.
Oliveira had a successful UFC career up until his crushing defeat in the UFC 280 battle against Islam Makhachev. Despite Oliveira’s spectacular 11-fight winning streak coming to an end, the Brazilian fighter was determined to turn things around in UFC 288 against Beneil Khobier Dariush.
The scheduled lightweight fight between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush for UFC 288 on May 6 will be postponed due to an undisclosed injury to Oliveira, sources told @CCLegaspi.
UFC is working on a new date for the bout. pic.twitter.com/kSGBxjcE1i
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 15, 2023
What kind of injury did Charles Oliveira suffer?
Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo square off in the bantamweight division in the main event of UFC 288. Yet, Do Bronx’s comeback was something that fans were eager to see. But sadly, it appears that Oliveira’s fanbase will have to wait a little longer to see the former lightweight champion in action again.
According to official reports, Charles’ unexpected injury that occurred at the last minute now prevents him from fighting Dariush. However, the 33-year-old fighter’s injury specifics have not yet been made public. Sadly, Oliveira’s injury forced the cancellation of the two lightweight superstars’ earlier matchup in 2020 as well.
In 2021, Oliveira dominated the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert, who holds a third-degree black belt, first fought Michael Chandler to win the title, then Dustin Poirier to retain the crown.
After losing to Makhachev, Charles took a hiatus with the hopes of coming back strongly against the fighter of Iranian descent. It will be interesting to see how quickly he bounces back and resumes his winning ways.
On the other hand, Dariush hoped to beat Oliveira and extend his unbeaten streak to nine fights in order to be eligible for the next title shot. The American fighter’s match appears to be postponed because UFC isn’t interested in replacing Oliveira with another contestant.
With Arman Tsarukyan’s high-voltage bout against Renato Moicano also in jeopardy, the potential of hosting a good replacement fight is still there. Tsarukyan previously fought against the current champion Makhachev and put up a good performance.
Should the UFC pit Beneil against Arman? Or should they wait for ‘Do Bronx’ to recover? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
