The suspense surrounding Charles Oliveira’s next opponent has been lifted. The Brazilian fighter is set to face Arman Tsarukyan in a contender’s bout at UFC 300.
There were whispers that Justin Gaethje would get the next lightweight title shot against the current champion, Islam Makhachev. However, UFC CEO Dana White clarified the situation during his announcement on Sunday night.
“The winner will face Islam when he returns this summer,” White stated.
Following the official announcement, Oliveira’s coach, Diego Lima, spilled some beans in an interview with Sherdog.com. He disclosed more details about the negotiations.
“As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Charles’ main focus was the belt. If Makhachev would fight, the opponent would be Charles, but many things have happened since we talked,” Lima revealed. He added that Makhachev is still injured and will observe Ramadan. After Ramadan, he will need time to prepare.
Lima expressed his satisfaction with UFC’s negotiation process. However, his suggestion for an interim lightweight belt didn’t materialize.
“The UFC gives us great treatment,” Lima said. “They offered us a great proposal to fight at UFC 300, and since Charles doesn’t want to go one year without fighting, we accepted. In my opinion, they could make an interim belt for that fight. But that’s only my opinion. The UFC decided to make it a title eliminator match.”
Lima refrained from sharing any potential strategy for Tsarukyan. “All I can say now is that Tsarukyan is a great fighter, both standing up and on the ground,” Lima said. He also mentioned that he had seen some of Tsarukyan’s fights but hadn’t thought about preparing for him until now.
“But Charles’ fans can be assured we will do great work to get one more win and have him fighting for the belt before the end of the year again,” Lima concluded.