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Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is eyeing a return to the octagon in March or April, according to a Twitter post by LowKick MMA. The fight will mark Oliveira's first bout since losing his title and 11-fight win streak to Dagestani phenom Islam Makhachev.
Reacting to the post, No.9-ranked UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan took the opportunity to call out 'do Bronx' for a fight. 'Ahalkalakets' is coming off a three-round unanimous decision victory over Damir Ismagulov.
The post by LowKick MMA read:
"Charles Oliveira has sights set on making his UFC return at the end of March or April, as he looks to begin a title siege once more."
Tsarukyan reposted the tweet with the following message, indicating that he'd like to fight the former lightweight champion:
"Sounds good."
Charles Oliveira is coming off a second-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. Many picked Oliveira to win the bout against Makhachev, as 'do Bronx' was on a tear in the lightweight division.
Islam Makhachev looked crisp in his striking and ended up dropping 'do Bronx' after the Brazilian failed to land a knee, thus leaving himself open to a counter. Unlike Oliveira's other opponents, Makhachev wasn't afraid to engage with the Brazilian on the ground.
Makhachev rushed Oliveira after dropping him, settled into a half-guard, and finished the then-champion with an arm-triangle from the mount position.
Watch highlights of Oliveira vs. Makhachev below:
What's next for Charles Oliveira?
If 'do Bronx' wants to get back into title contention, he will have to beat some of the top-ranked lightweights. Since he's run through names like Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, the fight that makes the most sense for Oliveira is the No.4-ranked Beneil Dariush.
Dariush is an interesting prospect because he is currently on an eight-fight win streak, having beaten Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280 to earn the No.4 spot in the lightweight rankings.
Stylistically, Dariush presents some unique challenges, as he has amazing grappling and scrambling abilities, as seen in his last fight against Gamrot. The Iranian-American fighter has five career wins by knockout and eight submission victories in his career.
With a win over a name like Dariush, Oliveira could definitely find himself in the title conversation and possibly challenge the winner of Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. If he stops Dariush, the Brazilian may be able to fast-track his way to a title shot.
