UFC President Dana White believes that Justin Gaethje vs Charles Oliveira could be the next matchmaking listed for both men. Currently, Gaethje is listed as the #1 contender for the UFC lightweight championship. Oliveira, on the other hand, is ranked #3 with title shot aspirations.
Dana on Gaethje vs Oliveria
Dana recently conducted a live Q&A session that streamed live from the ESPN+ platform. Answering questions from fans, Dana revealed his plans for the lightweight division. Those plans include a potential matchup between both Charles and Justin.
On an ESPN+ live stream, Dana White says Justin Gaethje will “probably” fight Charles Oliveira next #UFCFightIsland
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) January 6, 2021
“On an ESPN+ live stream, Dana White says Justin Gaethje will “probably” fight Charles Oliveira next #UFCFightIsland,” wrote MMA Junkie’s Nolan King.
“Do Bronx” is coming off the most prominent victory of his career. Oliveira won a domineering unanimous decision victory over Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of UFC 256. Thus, marking eight wins in a row for the surging contender who has longed for a title shot.
Gaethje, however, is coming off a less than stellar performance against Khabib Nurmagomedov. During their encounter at UFC 254, Khabib was able to easily dominate Justin. Ultimately, he was able to lock in a 2nd round triangle choke, earning him a third consecutive title defense.
Jam-Packed Lightweight Division
Ironically, both men are hoping to get their chance at the UFC lightweight championship, rather than fighting each other. Oliveria and Gaethje are both on record saying that they would like to face the winner between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.
The lightweight division is currently chock full of championship contenders. On the very same card, Dan Hooker is set to take on Michael Chandler. If either man has a dominant performance, it could skyrocket them to the front of their line to get a chance at the UFC 257 winner.
With Gathje being the #1 contender, it would be difficult to not give him a title shot with a big win. And, vice-versa for Oliveira.
