Former champ Charles Oliveira opens as an underdog against Beneil Dariush, UFC fans react

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira was not too long ago viewed as an unrivaled force in the 155-pound division. With finishes against the likes of former interim titleholder Dustin Poirier and former Bellator lightweight kingpin Michael Chandler, 'Do Bronx' truly deserved all the praise headed his way.

Unfortunately, MMA is a brutal sport and just one loss can at times change a fighter's public standing, and Oliveira is no exception.

The Brazilian failed to regain the title lst time out, falling via submission against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. Now, it seems that a lot of fans are expecting Charles Oliveira's next fight to end in a similar fashion.

'Do Bronx' has opened as the +120 betting underdog (per betonline.ag) for his upcoming meeting against the No.4-ranked Beneil Dariush at UFC 288.

However, many in the MMA community are baffeled by the line.

Twitter user @loyalsunsfan4L stated his disappointment with the odds, saying:

"This game and it’s short memory… when will it learn."

@QueJi7 seconded the claim, saying that people have easily forgotten how the Brazilian made light work of most of the lightweight division:

"Exactly! 💯 People forget easily how he swept the division."

Another user, @Psychaitrist69, wrote that all his money will be on Charles Oliveira since the former champ wins most of the fights he comes in as the underdog. Meanwhile, @TheJoseMaria suggested that the opening odds were a bit disrespectful towards 'Do Bronx'.

Check out a few other responses below:

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Beneil Dariush predicts a finish over Charles Oliveira

Beneil Dariush feels that he'll finish former champion Charles Oliveira within two rounds.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, the No.4-ranked contender opined that although there are a lot of ways in which the fight could transpire, he feels he'll finish Oliveira in either the first or second round:

"There's a lot of different ways I see the fight going, but the way I have to prepare for the fight is a three-round war where Charles is able to put me in bad positions and I have to work my way out, and then I have to be ready for all his dynamic striking...That's the way I'm going to preapre for the fight, but I think I'm going to get the finsih in either the first or the second round."

Catch Beneil Dariush's comments below:

Charles Oliveira is 33-9-0 (1 no contest) as a professional. At UFC 288, 'Do Bronx' will be hunting for an immediate rebound win against Beneil Dariush, who holds a pro record of 22-4-1. The Iranian-American is currently on an eight-fight win streak.