Charles Oliveira (34-9) knocked out Beneil Dariush (22-5-1) in the first round of their co-main event bout at UFC 289 from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
CHARLES OLIVEIRA'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!@CharlesDoBronxs stops Beneil Dariush in the first at #UFC289! pic.twitter.com/OWMWlddKWL
— UFC (@ufc) June 11, 2023
Oliveira’s 2022 was a rough one. He was stripped of the lightweight championship in May and dropped the title to Islam Makhachev just a few months later in a submission loss. Eight months later, and Oliveira put on one of his best performances to date.
Facing Dariush, who came into Saturday night having won eight fights in a row and knocking on the door of a championship opportunity, Oliveira ended up on his back early in the bout and almost caught his opponent in a heel hook. Dariush escaped out and ended up back on top again, but opted to stand and trade blows. With about a minute remaining in the round, Oliveira caught Dariush with a high kick that wobbled him, then sent him sprawling. On the ground, Oliveira continued to keep the pressure on, originally looking like he’d go for a rear-naked choke before dropping hammer fists to his back and eventually landing blows in what appeared to be between streams of consciousness before the ref called it.
The win gives Oliveira the third-most wins in UFC history at 22, just three short of the record of 25, and a clear path back into title contention.
