Dana White: Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira 2 Won't Headline UFC 297 amid Rumors

The featured writer for Column IV, Timothy Rapp, posted a blog on November 5th, 2023.

Dana White informed Brett Okamoto of ESPN on Sunday that the main event for UFC 297 in Toronto during January will not feature a second clash between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.

According to White's statement, Oliveira is expected to be the primary contender for Makhachev's lightweight championship. However, he emphasized that there is still a possibility for other contenders to claim the title, as long as they are prepared and willing to fight.

According to what Ali Abdelaziz, Makhachev's manager has stated to Okamoto, the lightweight champion is not expected to defend his title before March 9, at the earliest.

On Saturday, Ariel Helwani, an MMA journalist, shared that the intention was for Makhachev and Oliveira to battle each other at UFC 297. At first, Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria were set to be the leading match, but their fight was postponed to February.

He mentioned that UFC 297 also has a bout between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva, who will be competing for the empty women's bantamweight championship.

In October 2022, Makhachev, who is 32 years old, emerged victorious over Oliveira at UFC 280 via submission in the second round, claiming the lightweight belt that was up for grabs. He went on to protect his title twice against Alexander Volkanovski, winning by unanimous decision at UFC 284 in February and scoring a first-round knockout in October at UFC 294.

His professional MMA career record is 25 wins and 1 loss, with a UFC record of 13 wins and 1 loss.

Last year in May, Oliveira, 34 years old, became the lightweight champion of UFC 262 when he beat Michael Chandler by TKO. He fought Dustin Poirier to defend his newfound title but unfortunately was stripped of his belt after not meeting the weight requirement for his match against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 in May of this year. Despite this setback, Oliveira still managed to obtain a win via submission.

After he was defeated by Makhachev, he emerged victorious by TKO against Beneil Dariush during UFC 289 in June. His number of finishes in UFC is now an impressive 20.

Makhachev and Oliveira were planned to have a rematch at UFC 294, however, Oliveira had a training injury that caused him to cancel the fight. He said he didn't know anything about a rematch happening in January and no one had approached him with any offers, but he still wants to win back his title.

Oliveira stated that viewers can expect to see the same determined Charles that they are accustomed to seeing - consistently moving forward and striving for a submission or knockout to secure a victory. His ultimate goal is to become the champion and he is fully dedicated to achieving this aspiration.