Top-ranked lightweight contender Beneil Dariush will collide with former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira as part of the upcoming UFC 288 pay-per-view (PPV) event, recently made official for Sat., May 6, 2023, though a city and venue have yet to be revealed.
Oddsmakers have Dariush as the early -140 (5/7) betting favorite over Oliveira, according to BetOnline.ag, while “Do Bronx” clocks in as the +120 (6/5) underdog. As with most opening lines, you can expect these numbers to fluctuate — in both directions — as we inch closer to fight night.
Dariush, 33, improved to 22-4-1 by outlasting Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280, his eighth straight victory and a performance dominant enough to solidify his spot at No. 4 in the official lightweight rankings. Still not good enough for Dustin Poirier, but that’s an entirely different story.
Oliveira, 33, fell to 33-9 (1 NC) after getting submitted by Islam Makhachev, also at 280, coughing up his lightweight strap in the process. The Abu Dhabi defeat snapped an 11-fight win streak for “Do Bronx,” who may be able to build a case for a Makhachev rematch with a victory over Dariush.
UFC 288 is expected to be headlined by the bantamweight title fight between current 135-pound champion Aljamain Sterling and former division titleholder Henry Cejudo. Elsewhere on the card, battle-tested strawweight sluggers Marina Rodriguez and Virna Jandiroba collide at 135 pounds.