Charles Oliveira is back in position for another title shot, and added another impressive finish to his extensive highlight reel in the process.
The former lightweight champion ended Beneil Dariush’s lengthy winning streak in the first round in the UFC 289 co-main event Saturday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The striking of Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) proved too much for Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) to handle, as the referee stopped “Do Bronx” from inflicting more damage at 4:10 of Round 1.
Things got off to a fast start when Oliveira landed a big head kick in the opening exchanges. The impact got a big reaction from the Vancouver crowd, but Dariush was able to steady himself and get into the clinch. The fight went to the mat a moment later with Dariush on top, where he began looking for hard ground and pound.
Oliveira, though, always comfortable from his back, isolated a leg and went for a heel hook. Dariush escaped and went back to punching and controlling from top position.
With about 90 seconds to go, the fight returned to the feet, where Oliveira would land another big head kick. Dariush was wobbled and Oliviera swarmed with punches as he hunted for the finish. Dariush did his best to grab a hold of Oliveira to stop the swarm, but he was unsuccessful, and referee Jason Herzog stopped the action with 50 seconds left to go in the round.
Oliveira finishes Dariush in Round 1 😳 #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/cy8uiZ3wLz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 11, 2023
During his post-fight interview, Oliveira called for a rematch with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Oliveira lost the lightweight title in their first meeting at UFC 280 by submission. The result halted an 11-fight winning streak that carried the Brazilian to the title.
Now, things are back on track for the UFC’s all-time finishing leader (20).
On the other side, Dariush sees his eight-fight winning streak come to an end. Dariush was promised a title shot if he were to win this contest, but after dropping his first fight since 2018, he now has more work to do to get that long-awaited opportunity.
The up-to-the-minute UFC 289 results include:
- Charles Oliveira def. Beneil Dariush via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:10
- Mike Malott def. Adam Fugitt via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:06
- Dan Ige def. Nate Landwehr via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Marc-Andre Barriault def. Eryk Anders via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Chris Curtis vs. Nassourdine Imavov ends in no contest (accidental clash of heads) – Round 2, 3:04
- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Miranda Maverick via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Aiemman Zahabi def. Aori Qileng via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:04
- Kyle Nelson def. Blake Bilder via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Stephen Erceg def. David Dvorak via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Diana Belbita def. Maria Oliveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.
