Why Oliveira vs Dariush is a Pivotal Matchup in the Lightweight Division

Having originally been scheduled for the 6th of May at UFC 288, the fight between Charles Oliveira, and Beneil Dariush has been confirmed for UFC 289. The clash will be the co-main event on the 10th of June at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. The other co-main event on the night is the trilogy fight between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena for the women’s bantamweight title. With so much to look forward to at UFC 289, let us take a closer look at why Oliveira vs Dariush is a pivotal matchup in the men’s lightweight division.

Charles Oliveira

Charles Oliveira is coming into this fight on the back of a defeat against Islam Makhachev in October 2022 for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship. It was the ninth loss in his career, but it came on the back of a 11-fight unbeaten run, which is what was disappointing for Oliveira. The Brazilian was due to fight Dariush earlier in the year but was forced to pull out of the contest due to injury and it has been seven months since he was last seen in the Octagon. Despite the fact the original fight was cancelled, Oliveira remains the number one challenger in the official UFC lightweight rankings and boasts plenty of experience having amassed a professional MMA record of 33 wins in his career. Oliveira holds several UFC records, with perhaps the most impressive being his 19 finishes, which is the highest number of finishes in UFC history. The 33-year-old also holds the record for the most submission wins in UFC with 8 to his name.

Beneil Dariush

Beneil Dariush is ranked fourth in the official UFC lightweight division and has an MMA record of 22 wins and 4 losses, with one draw. The American comes into the contest protecting an 8-fight unbeaten run during which he has defeated Thiago Moises, Drew Dober, Frank Camacho, Drakkar Klose, Scott Holtzman, Carlos Diego Ferreira, Tony Ferguson, and Mateusz Gamrot. Three of those wins were awarded Performance of the Night and the victory over Ferreira was chosen as Fight of the Night. Each of the last three victories for Dariush have come via decision and of his 13 MMA wins via stoppage, 8 of them have come by way of submission. Speaking about the upcoming fight against Oliveira, Dariush said, “At this point, I’m just trying to be as prepared as possible because I’m not very confident this guy’s gonna show up, right?” Before continuing, “So, I just try to be as prepared as possible for whoever shows up.”

Who Will Come Out on Top?

This is going to be a massive occasion, with the winner hoping for a shot at the title against Islam Makhachev in their next fight. There is sure to be plenty of action at the sportsbooks leading up to this contest and with so many deposit and withdrawal options online, Venmo is growing in popularity with sportsbook bettors. The online payment service focuses on transactions between individuals but is becoming more popular at online sportsbooks in the United States. For those having a wager on the fight, there is going to be little to choose between the men in terms of the odds. Oliveira will be looking to take the fight to the floor while Dariush will try to keep standing and use his striking to wear down the Brazilian. 

Both fighters are close to being at their best, but Dariush is the man who is on the upward trend right now. If he can avoid being taken to the floor by Oliveira, Dariush could wear down the Brazilian with his blows and take control of the contest. This is not any easy fight to call but Dariush could be the man to come out on top and move closer to a bid for the UFC Lightweight Championship.