UFC 274 has its second title fight booked, as Charles
Oliveira will defend the lightweight crown against Justin
Gaethje on May 7.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the matchup to
ESPN on Wednesday. Oliviera vs. Gaethje joins a light
heavyweight championship tilt between Glover
Teixeira and Jiri
Prochazka atop the card. UFC 274 was initially expected to take
place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but the event is now rumored to
move to the United States, though a venue is still unknown.
Oliveira, the promotion’s all-time submission leader, is coming off
a 2021 campaign in which he defeated Michael
Chandler via technical knockout to claim the vacant 155-pound
belt at UFC 262 before submitting Dustin
Poirier in his first title defense at UFC 269. “Do Bronx” is
currently on a 10-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based
promotion in which he has finished nine of his opponents inside the
distance.
A former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, Gaethje
will vie for UFC gold for the second time when he faces Oliveira.
He came up short in his first attempt, falling to Khabib
Nurmagomedov via second-round submission at UFC 254. “The
Highlight” rebounded in his last outing, taking a three-round
verdict over Chandler in Sherdog.com’s “Fight of the Year” at UFC
268. Gaethje has won five of his last six UFC appearances
overall.