Charles Oliveira’s dramatic win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 helped him retain his status at the world’s best lightweight, but he doesn’t have the UFC belt in his possession after missing weight on Friday.
Instead of another successful title defense for ‘Do Bronx,’ the belt is currently vacant and he’ll face a top contender for the championship in his next outing. The most logical option would be Islam Makhachev, who’s only behind Dustin Poirier and Gaethje in the rankings and hasn’t faced Oliveira yet. One person who’s vouching for Oliveira vs. Makhachev next is, unsurprisingly, Islam’s teammate and former UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov.