Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveira Rematch Booked for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi
It's official, Islam Makhachev is defending his lightweight title in a rematch against No.1 ranked Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, October 21. The fight will take place inside the Etihad Arena and will very likely have an early start time for US fans.
READ: Unbeaten Irish Prospect Plots Second UFC "Takeover" When Conor McGregor Returns
The UFC announced the blockbuster matchup along with two other bookings on Instagram on July 20. Khamzat Chimaev makes his return against Paulo Costa, and Costa's former UFC 291 opponent Ikram Aliskerov has been rebooked to fight French standout Nassourdine Imavov.
Makhachev and Oliveira fought once before at UFC 280, also in Abu Dhabi, where Makhachev dominated Oliveira for a round two arm-triangle victory.
Since then, Makhachev defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski who was coming up from featherweight for a chance of double-champion status. The bout was highly contentious with many fans scoring the contest in favor of the Aussie.
READ: Brendan Schaub Makes Bold Claim On Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou Boxing Match
Oliveira, on the other hand, dispatched the No.4 contender Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 with a first round knockout. Dariush was widely considered to be the biggest threat to Makhachev in the lightweight top-five. With the victory, Oliveira has now beaten the entirety of the lightweight top-five, and his claims for a rematch were obviously undeniable.
Stick with MMA Knockout for more daily coverage of the UFC and MMA