After the Beneil Dariush victory in June 2023, Charles Oliveira will have to play an additional match to meet the UFC Championship Lightweight. His next opponent was identified as Arman Tsarukyan, UFC's rising boxer. Two boxers will appear at UFC 300, the event takes place in April.
In fact, Charles Oliveira was originally eligible for the championship after winning Beneil Dariush. He was arranged by UFC to face Islam Makhachev in October 2023, at the UFC event 294. The injury made Oliveira unable to play, and the organizers were forced to replace him with Alexander Volkanovski.
On the Arman Tsarukyan side, this boxer was once considered a “green army” when he was arranged to play with Beneil Dariush late last year. However, Tsarukyan's Knock-out victory in the first half suddenly made him one of the top candidates for a challenge of struggle with Makhachev in 2024.
With the current ranking of Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, the winner in this pair certainly has a challenge of Makhachev. Charles Oliveira's experience helps him to be highly appreciated, but Tsarukyan can also bring new winds at the age of 28. He has 5 years of experience playing at UFC.
The one who lost to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan in the last 2 matches, Beneil Dariush, was facing the completely opposite prospect. From a championship candidate, Dariush is now falling to the row of “poor quality” boxers, when he lost the first half in those two matches.
Another notable pair of Lightweight in the near future is the confrontation between Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint-Denis. Poirier is ranked 3rd on the rankings, and Saint-Denis is 12th. They will play at the UFC 299 event, taking place on March 10 in Vietnam time.