Report – Charles Oliveira returns, meets Beneil Dariush at UFC 288 on May 6.

Former undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira is slated to make his Octagon return at UFC 288 on May 6. per his head coach, Diego Lima, with the Chute Boxe teacher confirming a bout against the streaking 155lbs challenger, Beneil Dariush is booked. 

Oliveira, the current #1 ranked lightweight contender, most recently headlined UFC 280 back in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, UAE – seeing his division-best 12-fight winning run halted in a second round arm-triangle submission loss to Islam Makhachev in pair’s vacant title fight.

As for Dariush, the Iran-born contender, who currently holds the #4 ranked division challenger, improved his winning run to eight fights back in October on the same card, in fact, landing a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Mateusz Gamrot on ‘Fight Island’. Eurosport reporter, Alvaro Colmenero was first to report Oliveira’s return against Dariush as per the aforementioned, Lima.

“Charles Oliveira’s manager and coach, confirmed to me that Oliveira will fight Beneil Dariush on May 6. at UFC 288,” Colmenero tweeted. 

Winning the vacant lightweight crown back in May 2021, Oliveira stopped Michael Chandler with a second round TKO victory in Texas.

In December of that year, atop a UFC 269 pay-per-view card in Las Vegas, Nevada – Oliveira submitted Dustin Poirier with a third round standing rear-naked choke to defend his undisputed crown.

Last May, Oliveira submitted Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 274, however, missed weight by half a pound for his scheduled title defense, resulting in his stripping of the lightweight crown. 

Dariush, a product of Kings MMA head coach, Rafael Cordeiro, has enjoyed a spectacular run of victories en route to his planned title-eliminator against Oliveira in May.

Prior to his success over the aforenoted, Gamrot last October, Dariush bested common-foe, Tony Ferguson, Carlos Diego Ferreira, Drakkar Klose, Drew Dober, and Thiago Moises.

Ross Markey

Senior writer for FightBook MMA. An aspiring mixed martial arts reporter based in Ireland. Producer of news articles, interviews, opinion features, and exclusive features such as, ‘The Fallout’, ‘The Breakdown, and, ‘This Week In MMA’.