What injury did Charles Oliveira sustain to withdraw from Islam Makhachev fight at UFC 294? Examining timeline of Brazilian's return to action
- It was recently announced that Charles Oliveira was forced to pull out of his lightweight title rematch against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 due to injury. They last clashed at UFC 280 in October 2022, with the Dagestani grappling phenom dominating his way to a second-round submission victory.
After that devastating loss, Oliveira redeemed himself with an incredible first-round TKO victory over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in June. With 'Do Bronx' eager to fight for the title again, the promotion obliged the former 155-pound kingpin's request and booked a rematch against Makhachev.
They were booked to clash again at UFC 294 on October 21. Unfortunately, Charles Oliveira suffered a nasty cut on his eyebrow during a sparring session earlier this week. The cut he sustained was serious enough to require stitches, and he will not be flying to Abu Dhabi this week.
Eyebrow lacerations are common in MMA, and several UFC fighters have previously sustained similar injuries. Max Holloway picked up a nasty eyebrow cut in his trilogy fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 276. Likewise, Song Yadong suffered a brutal forehead cut at UFC Vegas 60. Both fighters returned to action roughly ten months after their cuts.
That being said, any eyebrow gash usually heals within 4-8 weeks with proper care and stitches. Speculatively, Charles Oliveira could return to action before the year ends or secure an opponent for an early 2024 bout. However, only time will tell when the Brazilian steps into the octagon next.
UFC 294: Charles Oliveira to be replaced by Alexander Volkanovski
After it was reported that Charles Oliveira had been forced to pull out of his lightweight title rematch against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, it was revealed that featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has stepped in as a short-notice replacement.
In a post-fight press conference after Dana White's Contender Series 66, the UFC CEO confirmed the news and stated that it took just "one phone call" to convince Volkanovski to agree. He further heaped praise on 'The Great' and said:
"The Volkanovski crew, him and Israel [Adesanya], these guys are absolute studs. This is how we do it, brother. One fight falls out, and we end up making a fight -- it's one of the most anticipated rematches ever in that weight class." (h/t espn.in)
Interestingly, Mateusz Gamrot was the confirmed backup fighter for the Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev headliner. However, he wasn't chosen to replace 'Do Bronx' after the latter pulled out. It's assumed that Gamrot remains the backup for UFC 294's main event.