According to UFC CEO Dana White, one of these two fighters is guaranteed to earn a title shot at UFC 300.
Charles Oliveira, a former lightweight champion, and the popular Russian fighter Arman Tsarukyan will compete in a No. 1 contender fight on April 13, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as announced by the Martial Arts Community. This clash will determine the next contender for the championship title.
This means that the current champion, Islam Makhachev, will either face an opponent in Saudi Arabia in March or await the winner of the Oliveira vs. Tsarukian fight, as he plans to take a few weeks off for Ramadan.
Oliveira (34-9, ranked No. 1 in North Carolina) lost the title to Makhachev in the main event of UFC 280. He bounced back in the second half of the year, securing a victory against Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 and repositioning himself as a contender for the lightweight title. He is now set to face Makhachev in a rematch at UFC 294.
Makhachev defended his title by defeating substitute Alex Volkanovski.
Tsarukyan (21-3) suffered a defeat to Makhachev in his UFC debut in early 2019. Over the next few years, he achieved an 8-1 record, including a first-round victory against Dariush at UFC Austin just last month. This impressive performance has placed Tsarukyan in fourth position in the official lightweight rankings.
The main event for UFC 300 has not yet been confirmed. However, several matchups have recently been made official, including Jiri Prochaska vs. Aleksandar Rakic (light heavyweight), Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling (featherweight), and Cody Brundage vs. Beau Nikal (middleweight).
Keep an eye out for more UFC 300 fight announcements in the upcoming weeks.
