Charles Oliveira is fully expecting to be in contention for the title if he manages to defeat Arman Tsarukyan.
The former lightweight champion Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) will face off against Tsarukyan (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at UFC 300 on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card will be available on pay-per-view after the highly anticipated preliminaries on ESPN and ESPN+.
Oliveira was initially slated for a rematch with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October, but had to pull out due to a cut. Subsequently, Makhachev also suffered an injury, causing further delays in the anticipated match. Oliveira is now set to fight Tsarukyan, who also secured a victory over Beneil Darish in the first round.
“I’m prepared. I’m ready for this challenge and I’m extremely excited,” Oliveira expressed to ESPN. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. We know it’s going to happen. I’m next in line for the title. Islam got injured last time, but I’m ready. Let’s make this happen.”
UFC CEO Dana White has announced this fight as the No. 1 contender’s bout, further substantiating Oliveira’s assertion. ‘De Bronx’ has only suffered one loss since 2017, which was against Makhachev in a fight for the vacant title at UFC 280.
“That’s always significant for us,” Oliveira stated. “I’m next in line. There’s no denying this. Did you hear that from your boss? You’ve improved.”
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