Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira rematch has a potential new date and venue, per Ariel Helwani
Many MMA fans have been eagerly waiting for Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira 2. As per Ariel Helwani, the rematch is once again in the works by the UFC.
The MMA journalist recently took to social media to share that the UFC was aiming to book a second fight between Makhachev and Oliveira for UFC 297. Although not official, the fight is expected to take place on January 20 in Toronto, Canada.
According to reports, Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva are also expected to lock horns for the vacant bantamweight title at UFC 297.
There were earlier talks of Alexander Volkanovski headlining the card in a title fight against Ilia Topuria. But now, it appears that the plan is to book that matchup for February.
The first encounter between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira took place at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. Makhachev rose to the occasion that night and comfortably defeated 'Do Bronx' via second-round submission to capture the lightweight gold.
The Dagestani then went on to successfully defend his title in a highly competitive fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. Oliveira, on the other hand, took on Beneil Dariush and defeated him via knockout in the first round.
After their respective wins, the two athletes were matched up for a second bout at UFC 294. But the Brazilian had to withdraw from the fight due to an injury. This resulted in Alexander Volkanovski stepping up on short notice for a rematch against the lightweight champion.
Unlike their first encounter, the rematch was a short-lived affair that ended in a first-round knockout victory for Makhachev.
Now, it would be interesting to see whether Islam Makhachev will continue his dominant run in the UFC or if Oliveira will surprise the world by defeating the Dagestani, who is currently on a 13-fight win streak in the promotion.