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It appears that the UFC are looking to book Charles Oliveira's first fight since his loss to Islam Makhachev and have a lightweight contender in mind.
While speaking with MMA Junkie, Beneil Dariush revealed that he has been contacted and offered a bout with the former UFC lightweight champion. He joked that despite being deserving of a title shot, the promotion would rather have him retire of old age instead.
He said:
"Yeah, the UFC wants me to fight this guy [Charles Oliveira] and I made a joke recently saying...I made a joke about I think the UFC wants me to retire of old age before they give me the title shot."
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The No.4 ranked lightweight updated the status of the negotiations for the proposed bout. He mentioned that he's excited about possibly fighting 'Do Bronx' and complimented him, saying:
"Right now, we're just working out the details of the contract and then we'll go from there. I mean, I get to fight Charles Oliveira, one of the best to ever do it. Sounds good to me, I'm not complaining about it. As far as who deserves to fight for the title, no one is even close to what I've done so far."
It would be interesting to see whether the bout will be a title eliminator as a way to add more incentive for the winner.
Would a win over Charles Oliveira finally secure a title shot for Beneil Dariush?
Beneil Dariush has been on an impressive run in the lightweight division, which is one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC.
Dariush is yet to earn a title shot, which is surprising considering that Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Michael Chandler received title shots with fewer consecutive wins. He is currently riding an 8-fight winning streak that includes wins over Mateusz Gamrot, Drew Dober, and former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.
It remains to be seen whether his bout against Charles Oliveira will serve as a title eliminator for the next shot at Islam Makhachev. But Dariush can make a strong argument should he defeat the former lightweight champion.
