Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira likely to headline UFC Saudi Arabia according to latest revelations

The highly anticipated lightweight title rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira is back on the radar. This showdown was initially scheduled for UFC 294, but 'Do Bronx' suffered an injury during one of his sparring sessions, causing the fight to be nixed.

Featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski stepped up to face Makhachev instead. The Dagestani lived up to his champion status at UFC 294, as he triumphed over Volkanovski in their lightweight title rematch. He floored Volkanovski with a devastating head kick in the first round and sealed the deal with a ground-and-pound finish.

Recent developments, shared by MMA journalist Brett Okamoto, have shed light on a possible rematch between Makhachev and Oliveira in the highly anticipated UFC event in Saudi Arabia scheduled for March 9. Okamoto's tweet relayed:

"Makhachev's manager @AliAbdelaziz00 tells ESPN he has informed the UFC the earliest Makhachev will be ready to defend his title is March 9."

Amid swirling rumors, which hinted at a headlining bout at UFC 297 in January, UFC President Dana White dismissed the speculations. While confirming Oliveira's strong candidacy for the lightweight belt challenge, he maintained that the timing of the rematch hinges on the readiness of both fighters, emphasizing that "anything is possible."

At the UFC Fight Night 231, Oliveira discussed his recovery while eagerly anticipating a date for his rematch against Islam Makhachev:

“I don’t have any planned, scheduled fights at the moment. We get to take our time to get a good recovery, so I might go back into training in about a week or so.”

Check out the interview below:

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Concerns arise over Islam Makhachev's leg after Volkanovski fight

Concerns have surfaced regarding the condition of Islam Makhachev's leg in the aftermath of his impressive victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294. The Dagestani fighter secured a thrilling TKO win by delivering a lightning-fast head kick followed by an onslaught of punches that left the crowd in awe.

Craig Jones, from team Volkanovski, raised questions about Makhachev's leg during a recent episode of the B-Team Jiu-Jitsu podcast. Jones said:

"He was actually limping on his leg. I think he might've broken his leg or something when he kicked Volk's head. ... His leg looked quite injured, so I said to Volk, 'Man if you ate that, you had [the fight] in the bag, he had a broken leg.' You know what I mean."

Check out the podcast below (26:35 mark):