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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will look to solidify himself as the division’s next title challenger against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 in April, UFC CEO Dana White announced Sunday evening.
The UFC has not announced a main event for UFC 300, but White has teased that it will be one of the best lineups in recent years. The addition of Oliveira and Tsarukyan is significant. The winner of the 155-pound contest will face defending champion Islam Makhachev this summer, according to White.
Oliveira (34-9) was supposed to challenge Makhachev in October but was forced to withdraw from their scheduled bout at UFC 294 due to a cut suffered in training. The Brazilian lost his title to Makhachev in October 2022, but then earned a rematch by knocking out Beneil Dariush in July. Despite his loss to Makhachev just two fights ago, Oliveira is still the No. 1-ranked lightweight contender, with previous title wins against Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler.
Tsarukyan (21-3) has been a sleeper of the lightweight division for years. Born in Armenia and fighting out of Russia, Tsarukyan is 8-2 in the UFC. He made his UFC debut against Makhachev on short notice in 2019 and lost by unanimous decision. He’s been relatively dominant since, though, and is coming off a 64-second knockout of Dariush in a main event slot in December.
Makhachev (25-1) has stated publicly that he will defend his belt against anyone but would prefer to avoid rematches. The Dagestani champ fought twice in 2023, defeating featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski twice. It would appear he’s due for at least one more rematch in 2024, having already beaten Oliveira and Tsarukyan previously.
White is expected to announce more bouts for UFC 300 this week. Welterweight champion Leon Edwards has already announced he intends to defend his belt on the card, although the UFC has not made that official.