Oliveira to fight Tsarukyan in title eliminator at UFC 300
UFC lightweight Charles Oliveira will take on Arman Tsarukyan in a No. 1 contender fight at UFC 300 on April 13, UFC CEO Dana White announced.
The winner of the bout will face lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at an unknown event in the future, White said.
Oliveira will face a contender despite being in line for a title rematch against Makhachev. He was supposed to face Makhachev at UFC 294 in October but withdrew from the contest days before due to an injury suffered late in training camp. White said Makhachev is recovering from an injury, rendering him unavailable until the summer.
Oliveira, the former champion and top-ranked 155-pound contender, last fought in June, earning a first-round knockout win over Beneil Dariush. The Brazilian won the title in 2021 before Makhachev beat him for it the next year.
Tsarukyan is also coming off a first-round knockout of Dariush. The Armenian catapulted to No. 4 in the lightweight rankings after the emphatic win at UFC Austin in December.
Like his opponent, Tsarukyan faced Makhachev in the past. He lost a Fight of the Night decision to the grappling phenom in his Octagon debut in 2019.
UFC 300 doesn't have an announced main event but is expected to feature one of the deepest fight cards in history.