Is Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveira II going to take place at UFC 297? Exploring the possibility

Islam Makhachev, the second-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, is the subject of rumors concerning his upcoming bout. UFC CEO Dana White promised a bout with Charles Oliveira, but no official confirmation regarding the date and venue of their fight has been provided.

Oliveira and Makhachev are two big names in the UFC and their fight is for sure a guaranteed main event. Their initial meeting was one-sided in favor of Makhachev at UFC 280. However, Oliveira rebounded with a massive win and was looking to reclaim the title at UFC 294 only for an injury to derail his hopes.

Is Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveira booked for UFC 297?

Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev have distinguished themselves from the rest of the division. Makhachev boasts a 13-fight win streak and is the favorite to break Anderson Silva’s win-streak record. Oliveira, the record holder for all-time finishes and submissions, has finished all the other fighters in the top 5 of the division, including Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Beneil Dariush, and Michael Chandler.

Oliveira has submitted Gaethje and Poirier and scored a TKO against Chandler and Dariush. Makhachev’s victories include Dan Hooker and Bobby Green in the top 10 and Drew Dober and Bobby in the top 15. The names mentioned are sufficient to comprehend the caliber of the Russian and Brazilian lightweights.

Even though their first meeting at UFC 280 was one-sided in favor of Makhachev, Oliveira was poised to be a tough matchup for the champion at UFC 294. Unfortunately, he suffered a deep cut that resulted in Alexander Volkanovski facing a 1st round TKO loss to Islam Makhachev. With Dana White confirming that Oliveira would fight Makhachev, a recent tweet by Ariel Helwani further alluded that the matchup would headline UFC 297 in Canada.

However, Dana White clarified to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that this is not the case. Additionally, Ali Abdelaziz, the manager of Islam Makhachev, tweeted that the champion would return at the earliest in March 2024. As of now, the only title fight booked for UFC 297 is a bout for the vacant women’s bantamweight championship between Mayra Bueno Silva and Raquel Pennington.

How many times Islam Makhachev has defended his belt?

Despite holding a 13-fight win streak in the UFC, Islam Makhachev received a title shot later than many. While being the protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov did aid in earning the title shot, it was Makhachev’s all-around skills that elevated him into the pound-for-pound conversations.

Makhachev won the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 against Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira. Since then, he has defended the title two times. His first defense was at UFC 284 against featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski who was moving up in weight in Australia. His second title defense was against the same opponent at UFC 294. Volkanovski replaced Oliveira on a 12-day notice at UFC 294.

If he emerges victorious in his next lightweight fight, Makhachev would tie the UFC record for the most title defenses in the lightweight division, joining the ranks of Khabib Nurmagomedov, BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar, and Benson Henderson in a four-way tie. The relatively shorter reigns of lightweight champions serve as a testament to the intense competition in the division.

With two title defenses to his name, Makhachev holds the second-highest number of title defenses among active UFC champions. Only Alexander Volkanovski, with 5 in the featherweight division, has more. Every other champion either has a single defense or is a new champion.

Do you think Islam Mahachev would defeat Charles Oliveira in their rematch when it happens?