Charles Oliveira made a statement with his performance against Beneil Dariush at UFC 289. The former UFC lightweight champion made quick work of Dariush in the pay-per-view co-headliner to re-enter the title picture and recently thanked a fan online for his support.
Soon after Oliveira's TKO victory over Dariush, a video of an elderly man celebrating while watching the final sequence of the fight went viral on Twitter. Always one to embrace the support, 'do Bronx' reacted to the video to share how grateful he is.
The Brazilian tweeted:
"Muito obrigado pela torcida! [Thank you very much for the support]"
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Charles Oliveira is now back in the lightweight title mix with his win over Beneil Dariush. The former champ is chasing a rematch with current 155-pound king Islam Makhachev, who notably broke his 11-fight win streak in Abu Dhabi last year.
Makhachev is set to return to action in October in Abu Dhabi, where a rematch with Oliveira could be on the cards.
Beneil Dariush feels he wasn't his best self against Charles Oliveira
While Charles Oliveira is understandably elated to be back in the win column, Beneil Dariush saw his championship hopes crumble with his defeat to the Brazilian. Dariush was seemingly promised a title shot with a win over 'do Bronx', but will now have to compile another win streak before earning a shot at UFC gold.
In an interview with Submission Radio after his loss, Dariush stated that he wasn't his "best version" against Oliveira, but didn't want to give any excuses.
Beneil Dariush turned 34 earlier this year and given his softspoken nature, working his way to a title shot could prove to be an arduous journey. Nevertheless, he remains in the lightweight top five and will more than likely fight down the rankings next time around.
No.8-ranked Arman Tsarukyan, who recently defeated Joaquin Silva, called out Dariush after his victory this past weekend.