'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAb/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADBP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAg50Cr//EACEQAAIBAgYDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDAQQGAAUHERMyEkKS/9oACAEBAAE/AMi0/uRDn1FTbw8cq4wXL0kPgXf37YqLAuhb2ArKGysSmBkn0++33j//xAAXEQEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIR/9oACAECAQE/ACyuz//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAIv/aAAgBAwEBPwBchf/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Charles Oliveira failed to re-claim the UFC lightweight title at UFC 280. The fight saw his opponent, Islam Makhachev, dominate 'do Bronx' from start to finish. The Dagestani fighter ultimately submitted Oliveira with an arm-triangle choke in the second round.
An immediate rematch is not currently on the cards, since Makhachev is likely to fight Alexander Volkanovski next, possibly at UFC 284 in February 2023. So the question remains - who will Charles Oliveira face next?
The No.4-ranked Beneil Dariush was gunning for a title shot following his win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280. He expressed annoyance at Volkanovski being picked as the back-up fighter for Oliveira vs. Makhachev as the UFC initially told him that he would be the back-up. A title eliminator bout between Dariush and Charles Oliveira could determine the next challenger for the throne.
Oliveira could also face the winner of the Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler bout scheduled for UFC 281. The Brazilian has wins over both fighters. He fought Chandler for the title at UFC 262 and defended it against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.
Another fight could be a rematch with No.3-ranked Justin Gaethje. The two met in a title fight at UFC 274 where Oliveira submitted Gaethje in the first round despite being dropped twice.
Oliveira was riding a scorching 11-fight win streak prior to his loss to Islam Makhachev. He currently holds the No.1 spot in the rankings and has claimed that he will do everything in his power to re-claim the belt.
Charles Oliveira issues emotional statement following UFC 280 loss
Charles Oliveira's incredible run of victories came to a halt at UFC 280. He still holds multiple records in the promotion, including the most submissions in the UFC at 16, and the most finishes at 19. His recent championship defeat marked his first loss since 2018.
In the aftermath of his loss to Islam Makhachev, Oliveira put out a statement apologizing to his fans and his nation. The Brazilian hailed Islam Makhachev as the better man on the night and highlighted that he was unable to find himself inside the octagon, contributing to his performance.
In a video posted to Instagram, Oliveira said:
"I believe that everything I did in training was done right, including the weight cut. But yesterday I was unable to find myself in the fight. Yesterday, Islam was better than I was in terms of timing and did an overall better fight, coming out as champion."
Watch Charles Oliveira's post-fight statement below:
