Charles Oliveira‘s dominant victory over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 has impressed UFC President Dana White, who has expressed interest in giving Oliveira another shot at Islam Makhachev. Oliveira’s win marked his 20th finish in the UFC and earned him a record-breaking 19th post-fight bonus.
White acknowledged Oliveira’s remarkable career turnaround since 2016 and praised his performance against Dariush. The UFC president believes a rematch between Oliveira and Makhachev makes sense and expressed excitement at the prospect of the two fighters facing each other again.
Oliveira previously faced Makhachev at UFC 280 for the vacant lightweight title but lost by second-round submission. However, Oliveira has stated that he was a different fighter back then and is confident that a rematch would yield a different result.
While White expressed his desire for the rematch, he also acknowledged that several factors, such as injuries, timelines, and Makhachev’s input, need to be considered before making any fight announcements.
As for Dariush, his defeat against Oliveira halted his eight-fight win streak and potentially derailed his path to a title shot. White acknowledged the emotional impact of the loss on Dariush and mentioned that the fighter needs time to process the defeat and discuss his future plans with his team and family.