The UFC lightweight championship will be defended by Charles Oliveira against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 in May, according to the announcement.
The event was announced during Saturday’s UFC 272 event, and all eyes are now on the fight, which is said to take place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Oliveira (32-8, 1 NC) won the 155-pound belt for the first time at the UFC 269 in December, when he defeated fan favorite Dustin Poirier in the 3rd round.
The runner-up for CBS Sports’ Fighter of the Year has won ten straight fights with 9 finishes, which includes a TKO victory over Michael Chandler for the title left vacant & a submission of Kevin Lee.
Gaethje (23-3) arrives from his best performance of the year, a win over Chandler at the UFC 268 in November.
With four TKOs in his past six fights, the former champion at the UFC interim lightweight has won five of his last six battles.
The sole defeat came in a championship unification fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov at the UFC 254, when he was defeated before the Russian declared his retirement.
As per the announcement by UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
In March 2021, Khabib announced his retirement, with his final bout being a UFC lightweight championship defense against Justin Gaethje in October 2020.
UFC President Dana White remarked, “Khabib is amongst the finest athletes to have ever participated in UFC.”
‘No one has outplayed their opponents like Khabib has, and to go unbeaten as the lightweight champion & number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world is a great achievement,’ said the UFC president. ‘It is a pleasure to make him into a UFC Hall of Famer this summer.’
At the time of his departure, the Eagle had a perfect 29-0 record and was ranked first in the UFC pound-for-pound ranking.
Oliveira (32-8) is coming off a fantastic 2021 season. In May, the 32-year-old Brazilian knocked out Michael Chandler in the second round of an exciting title battle, and he completed the calendar year with a comeback submission victory against Dustin Poirier in his first title defense.
Since former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov retired in the month of October 2020, Gaethje (23-3) was waiting for one more chance at the UFC gold. In the final bout of Nurmagomedov’s career, Gaethje who is from Arizona took on Nurmagomedov for the championship. His record qualified him to compete for the vacated championship straight immediately, but he had to wait for another win to get the opportunity. That victory occurred in the month of November at UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden, where Justin Gaethje defeated Chandler by decision.
An official location has yet to be revealed by the UFC. It had explored staging the event in Brazil, but it is now anticipated to be held in the United States.
UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje Payouts, Purse, and Salaries
|
Fighter |
Confirmed |
Win |
Sponsorship |
|
Charles |
$500k |
$100k |
$42k |
|
Justin |
$500k |
$100k |
$32k |
|
Rose |
$500k |
$100k |
$42k |
|
Carla |
$310k |
$100k |
$20k |
|
Michael |
$500k |
$100k |
$20k |
|
Tony |
$400k |
NA |
$15k |
|
Maurício |
$210k |
NA |
$10k |
|
Ovince |
$110k |
NA |
$5k |
|
Donald |
$200k |
NA |
$10k |
|
Joe |
$85k |
$5k |
|
|
Randy |
$85k |
$10k |
|
|
Khaos |
$30k |
NA |
$5k |
|
Brandon |
$36k |
$5k |
|
|
Matt |
$30k |
NA |
$5k |
|
Macy |
$40k |
$5k |
|
|
Norma |
$18k |
NA |
$4k |
|
Blagoy |
$36k |
$5k |
|
|
Marcos |
$75k |
NA |
$5k |
|
Francisco |
$75k |
$5k |
|
|
Danny |
$60k |
NA |
$5k |
|
Cameron |
$12k |
NA |
$4k |
|
André |
$12k |
$4k |
|
|
Tracy |
$18k |
$4k |
|
|
Melissa |
$12k |
NA |
$4k |
|
Kleydson |
$12k |
NA |
$4k |
|
C.J. |
$12k |
$4k |
|
|
Ariane |
$18k |
NA |
$4k |
|
Lupita |
$22k |
$5k |
|
|
Journey |
$20k |
$5k |
|
|
Fernie |
$12k |
NA |
$4k |
| Fighters | Guaranteed Purse | Sponsorship Bonus | ~Total Payouts (Exclusive of PPV buys) |
| MAIN CARD | |||
| Justin Gethije | NA | NA | NA |
| Charles Olivera | NA | NA | NA |
| Rose Namajunas | NA | NA | NA |
| Carla Esparza | NA | NA | NA |
| Michael Chandler | NA | NA | NA |
| Tony Ferguson | NA | NA | NA |
| Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua | NA | NA | NA |
| Ovince Saint Preux | NA | NA | NA |
| Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone | NA | NA | NA |
| Joe Lauzon | NA | NA | NA |
| PRELIMINARY CARD | |||
| Blagoy Ivanov | NA | NA | NA |
| Marcos Rogerio De Lima | NA | NA | NA |
| Macy Chiasson | NA | NA | NA |
| Norma Dumont | NA | NA | NA |
| Randy Brown | NA | NA | NA |
| Khaos Williams | NA | NA | NA |
| Francisco Trinaldo | NA | NA | NA |
| Danny Roberts | NA | NA | NA |
| EARLY PRELIMS CARD | |||
| Brandon Royval | NA | NA | NA |
| Matt Schnell | NA | NA | NA |
| Randy Brown | NA | NA | NA |
| Khaos Williams | NA | NA | NA |
| Francisco Trinaldo | NA | NA | NA |
| Danny Roberts | NA | NA | NA |