Tag Archives: Islam Makhachev

Charles Oliveira to Fight Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300

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Charles Oliveira has lined up his next opponent…

The 34-year-old  Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and third degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, a former lightweight champion, will look to solidify himself as the division’s next title challenger against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 in April, per UFC CEO Dana White.

Charles OliveiraThe UFC has not announced a main event for UFC 300, but White has teased that it will be one of the best lineups in recent years.

The addition of Oliveira and Tsarukyan is significant.

The winner of the 155-pound contest will face defending champion Islam Makhachev this summer, according to White.

Oliveira (34-9) was supposed to challenge Makhachev in October but was forced to withdraw from their scheduled bout at UFC 294 due to a cut suffered in training.

The Brazilian lost his title to Makhachev in October 2022, but then earned a rematch by knocking out Beneil Dariush in July. Despite his loss to Makhachev just two fights ago, Oliveira is still the No. 1-ranked lightweight contender, with previous title wins against Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler.

Tsarukyan (21-3) has been a sleeper of the lightweight division for years. Born in Armenia and fighting out of Russia, Tsarukyan is 8-2 in the UFC. He made his UFC debut against Makhachev on short notice in 2019 and lost by unanimous decision.

He’s been relatively dominant since, though, and is coming off a 64-second knockout of Dariush in a main event slot in December.

Makhachev (25-1) has stated publicly that he will defend his belt against anyone but would prefer to avoid rematches. The Dagestani champ fought twice in 2023, defeating featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski twice. It would appear he’s due for at least one more rematch in 2024, having already beaten Oliveira and Tsarukyan previously.

White is expected to announce more bouts for UFC 300 this week. Welterweight champion Leon Edwards has already announced he intends to defend his belt on the card, although the UFC has not made that official.

Paulo Costa to Fight Undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294

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Paulo Costa is switching opponents…

The 32-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist will face undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in the Octagon at 185 pounds at UFC 294 on October 21 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, UFC president Dana White has announced.

Paulo CostaCosta and Chimaev are two of the most popular fighters in the UFC middleweight division.

The card will be headlined by a lightweight title rematch between champion Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira. It’s unclear if the Chimaev-Costa bout will be the co-main event. 

Costa had been scheduled to fight Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 next week in Salt Lake City, but was pulled from that fight to face Chimaev. Aliskerov will now fight at UFC 294 against Nassourdine Imavov.

ESPN has Chimaev ranked No. 4 in the world at welterweight, while Costa is rated No. 7 at middleweight.

Chimaev (12-0) has not fought since September, a first-round submission of Kevin Holland at UFC 279. He missed weight before what would have been a fight with Nate Diaz on that card before being given Holland as a replacement.

The Chechen-born fighter is 6-0 in the UFC with five finishes. Chimaev, 29, holds the UFC modern record for the fastest three-fight winning streak (66 days).

Costa (14-2) is coming off a unanimous decision over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 in August 2022. The Brazilian fighter snapped a two-fight losing streak with that victory. Costa has won six of his eight UFC fights with the lone losses coming to Marvin Vettori and champion Israel Adesanya in a title fight.

Charles Oliveira to Fight UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev in Highly Anticipated Rematch

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Charles Oliveira is hoping to return to the champion’s circle…

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will defend his belt against the 33-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and 3rd degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, a former UFC lightweight champion.

Charles OliveiraThe rematch between Oliveira and Makhachev will be the main event of UFC 294 on October 21 in Abu Dhabi, UFC president Dana White revealed.

ESPN has Makhachev ranked No. 2 in the world pound-for-pound and Oliveira at No. 6. The two fought last October at UFC 280 with Makhachev submitting Oliveira in the second round to win the then-vacant UFC lightweight title.

Makhachev (24-1) is coming off a unanimous-decision win over featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 back in February. The Dagestan native has won 12 straight fights, all in the UFC.

Makhachev, 31, is the longtime training partner and student of former longtime lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Oliveira (34-9, 1 NC) beat Beneil Dariush via first-round TKO at UFC 289 last month to set up the rematch. The Brazilian-born fighter won the lightweight title in May 2021, beating Michael Chandler. But he missed weight in May 2022 before a fight with Justin Gaethje and was stripped of the belt.

Oliveira has the most finishes (20) and submission wins (16) in UFC history.

There had been speculation that Makhachev could face Volkanovski in an immediate rematch following Volkanovski’s dominant title defense against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 on July 8. But Oliveira had been the UFC’s top choice for this fight after running through Dariush last month.

Yair Rodriguez to Face Alexander Volkanovski in Featherweight Title Unification Bout at UFC 290

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Yair Rodriguez has lined up his next opponent…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist, interim champion, has verbally agreed to fight featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 290 on July 8, according to multiple sources.

Yair Rodriguez,The UFC is targeting the featherweight title unification bout as part of its annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

Contracts have not yet been issued or signed.

The 145-pound fight could serve as the pay-per-view headliner, although the UFC has not yet made that official.

Volkanovski (25-2) is coming off a failed bid to become a two-weight champion in February. The Australian moved up to 155 pounds at UFC 284 and lost a unanimous decision to lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.

Volkanovski and his team have been campaigning for an immediate rematch against Makhachev, as the five-round fight was extremely competitive. In the absence of an immediate rematch, however, Volkanovski wishes to stay active and defend his title.

ESPN ranks Volkanovski as tied for the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world with Makhachev.

Rodriguez (15-3), of Chihuahua, Mexico, won the interim title by submitting Josh Emmett in February. That fight also took place on the UFC 284 card in Perth, Australia.

Rodriguez is 4-1 in his past five official bouts, with the only loss coming to former champion Max Holloway.

Charles Oliveira to Fight Beneil Dariush in Lightweight Battle at UFC 288

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Charles Oliveira is returning to the Octagon…

The 33-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, a former UFC lightweight champion, will face top contender Beneil Dariush in May.

Charles OliveiraThe UFC hasn’t officially announced the 155-pound bout, but Oliveira referred to it as official on social media, and ESPN sources say Dariush’s side has agreed.

The lightweight fight will take place on May 6 at an event that is expected to be a UFC 288 pay-per-view.

Oliveira (33-9) hasn’t fought since a third-round submission loss to current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in October. That fight came under unique circumstances in that it was technically for the vacant lightweight title, after Oliveira surrendered the title this past May after missing weight for a defense against Justin Gaethje.

Although the Brazilian wasn’t the official champ when he fought Makhachev, the sport widely viewed him as such until the loss. Prior to the defeat, Oliveira had won 11 in a row.

Dariush (22-4-1) will take an eight-fight win streak into the contest in May. The 33-year-old has a strong case for a title shot now, but he has a history of seeking fights to remain active rather than wait for specific opportunities. Dariush would likely assert himself as the clear No. 1 contender at lightweight with a win. He has never fought Makhachev.

A bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo is slated to headline UFC 288. The UFC has not announced a venue for the date.

Yair Rodriguez Defeats Josh Emmett to Become UFC’s Interim Featherweight Champion

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Yair Rodriguez is officially a titleholder…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist is the UFC‘s interim featherweight champion following a masterful finish over Josh Emmett at UFC 284.

Yair RodriguezRodriguez (15-3) submitted Emmett via triangle choke at 4 minutes, 19 seconds of the second round. The 145-pound bout co-headlined UFC 284, which took place on Sunday morning local time at RAC Arena.

The UFC created an interim title because defending champion Alexander Volkanovski (25-2) moved up in weight to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt. Volkanovski came up just short in his bid in the main event of UFC 284, losing to Makhachev by unanimous decision.

Rodriguez went into the fight as a favorite, but Emmett (18-3) had him in trouble early. Emmett, a Sacramento-based fighter, hurt Rodriguez in the opening round with a right hand, which Rodriguez later admitted nearly put him out. Emmett used the shot to get into top position and cause more damage.

Rodriguez regrouped in the second round, however, and started hurting Emmett badly to the body with kicks. Emmett was clearly affected by the shots and started to turn into an easier target for Rodriguez’s versatile offense. He hurt him moments later with an elbow along the fence.

Emmett managed to get Rodriguez to the ground a little later in the round, but Rodriguez stayed active and caught the triangle off his back.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez becomes the second Mexican-born champion in UFC history.

The first, Brandon Moreno, is a two-time flyweight champion who just reclaimed his belt with a victory over Deiveson Figueiredo last month.

Volkanovski, of Australia, will likely look to unify his title against Rodriguez in their next appearances.

Yair Rodriguez to Fight Josh Emmett for Interim UFC Featherweight Title

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Yair Rodriguez is headed Down Under…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist will fight Josh Emmett for the interim UFC featherweight title in the co-main event of the February 11 card in Perth, Australia, according to the UFC.

Yair RodriguezThe UFC is making an interim title, because undisputed champion Alexander Volkanovski will move up to lightweight and challenge champion Islam Makhachev for that title in the UFC 284 headliner.

ESPN has Rodriguez ranked No. 4 in the world at featherweight, and Emmett is ranked No. 7.

Rodriguez (14-3, 1 NC) is coming off a victory over Brian Ortega at UFC Long Island in July. The Mexican-born striker has just one loss in his past five fights.

Emmett (18-2) has won five straight. The 37-year-old California resident is coming off a split decision win over Calvin Kattar in June.

Renato Moicano Replacing Rafael Fiziev for This Weekend’s Bout Against Rafael dos Anjos

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Renato Moicano is stepping up for a battle royale…

The 32-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist will step in on just four days’ notice to battle Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main event of UFC 272 on Saturday, according to ESPN sources.

Renato MoicanThe fight has been reportedly verbally agreed to and both sides are awaiting contracts.

dos Anjos, the former UFC lightweight champion, originally was scheduled to fight Rafael Fiziev this weekend, but Fiziev withdrew Monday due to being sick with COVID-19. dos Anjos wanted to remain on the card and UFC was able to come to an agreement with Moicano.

The new fight will be contested at a catchweight of 160 pounds over five rounds.

A few other names, including top lightweight contender Islam Makhachev, were in discussions to replace Fiziev but Moicano won out.

dos Anjos tweeted that he called Makhachev’s bluff and Makhachev “folded.” Makhachev beat Bobby Green in the UFC Fight Night main event just three days ago.

Moicano is in Brazil and still waiting to find out when he’ll be able to travel to Las Vegas, per his manager, Oren Hodak of KO Reps. Fighters traditionally arrive Tuesday of fight week if the card is on Saturday.

dos Anjos (30-13) has not fought since a split-decision win over Paul Felder in November 2020. That was the Brazil-born fighter’s return to the lightweight division from welterweight. dos Anjos was the UFC lightweight champion in 2015 and 2016 and has one of the toughest strengths of schedule in the promotion’s history.

Moicano (16-4-1) has won two straight and three of his past four, with the lone loss during that span coming to Fiziev. Training out of American Top Team in Florida, he is coming off an impressive, second-round submission win over Alexander Hernandez at UFC 271 on February 12 in Houston.