Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush will no longer take place at UFC 288. The fight, which was scheduled as the co-main event for the May 6 card, was expected to determine the next challenger for UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
It was revealed on Friday that Oliveira was forced to withdraw from the fight because of a small injury, according to ESPN. A source confirmed the news to CBS Sports. UFC confirmed the removal with a graphic on Saturday night displaying the UFC 288 fight card without the matchup included.
This is the second time the two have been scheduled with Oliveira being forced to bow out. Oliveira and Dariush were set to meet in October 2020, but Oliveira withdrew a month ahead of time.
Oliveira (33-9, 1 NC) had his 11-fight winning streak snapped by Makhachev in October, which featured one of the most exciting championship runs in UFC history with fights against Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and a Justin Gaethje fight where only Gaethje was eligible to win the title. Dariush (22-4-1) is overdue for a title shot and currently rides an eight-fight winning streak, which includes three Performance of the Night bonuses and one Fight of the Night.
UFC 288 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday, May 6 and is headlined by UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo.
