Charles Oliveira is all set for his second title defence. Earlier yesterday, UFC president Dana White confirmed that Justin Gaethje will fight the current lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira, at UFC 274. Oliveira is coming off a 3rd round submission of Dustin Poirier on UFC 269. Whereas Justin Gaethje defeated Michael Chandler in his last fight which was the ‘fight of the year’ according to a lot of fans.
Oliveira and Gaethje will meet in May ????
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 26, 2022
UFC is working on finalizing the lightweight title bout shortly, Dana White told @bokamotoESPN. pic.twitter.com/Cnplmi7Hz4
Earlier there were rumours of Conor McGregor jumping the line and stealing the next title shot against the 155lbs champion. Both Conor and Charles Oliveira expressed their interest in sharing the octagon together. Dana White also did not rule out the idea of the fight.
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— Charles ‘DoBronxs’ Oliveira (@CharlesDoBronxs) January 26, 2022
Hence, a fight between Gaethje and Oliveira will be reassuring for the fans of both fighters as it protects the meritocracy. The 33-year old is the no. 1 ranked fighter in the lightweight division. Although he fell short against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254, he regained his momentum with a win against Chandler.
“Riot canceled” – @Jon_Anik ???????????????? Date: May 7th Location: TBD pic.twitter.com/BjsElHaRrn
— Justin Gaethje ???????? (@Justin_Gaethje) January 26, 2022
UFC 274 will take place on March 7. It already has the light-heavyweight championship fight between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Procházka at the top of the headline. Adding the lightweight fight to the card will make it a must-see one.
Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Who wins?
This fight promises to be one of the most interesting lightweight championship fights ever. Charles Oliveira is perhaps the most well-rounded fighter amongst all the active lightweights. His striking has developed immensely over the years and his Jiu-jitsu is of an elite class. Gaethje on the other hand is the epitome of a ‘blood and guts’ fighter.
Both of them have a common opponent that they have fought recently, Michael Chandler. Both fights were entertaining in their own rights. Chandler almost finished Oliveira in the first round. But he was not able to put Justin Gaethje in a situation where he could have finished him.
However, Charles Oliveira TKO-ed the former Bellator champion. But Justin Gaethje could not repeat the feat. Hence, a fight between the two will come down to who can endure more punishment. Gaethje is a division 1, all American wrestler. Hence, he will be a handful for Oliveira to handle on the ground.
Justin Gaethje has a tendency of throwing caution to the wind and going for the kill. If he tries the same with Charles Oliveira, then there’s a possibility of the fight ending very soon. However, if Gaethje composes himself and stays calm similar to the way he fought against Tony Ferguson, we might see a new lightweight champion.
