Dana White Hints at Charles Oliviera vs Justin Gaethje Next
UFC President Dana White has hinted that we might see Lightweight Champion Charles Oliviera defend the title against Justin Gaethje.
Oliviera successfully defended the title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 via submission in the third round. This was his first title defense since he won the title against Michael Chandler at UFC 262 back in June.
After the event, Dana White was asked about the next challenger for the 155 lbs throne and he confirmed that Justin Gaethje is in line for the title shot next. A former interim champion, Gaethje is once again a title challenger courtesy of his win over Michael Chandler at UFC 268 last month.
Currently ranked at #2 in the lightweight division, Gaethje was at T-Mobile Arena on December 11. Shortly after the event, he also tweeted that he should be next in line for the title shot.
White was also asked whether it is possible to stage Da Bronx’s next title defense in his home country of Brazil. UFC President remained non-committal on that point and even said he could not care less about where future UFC events could take place. “I have no idea what’s possible in 2022,” White said. “I don’t give a sh*t. I [couldn’t] care less.”
There were no discussions on when the fight could take place. UFC will present UFC 270 on January 22 which will be headlined by a heavyweight title unification bout. UFC 271 on February 12, 2022 featuring Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker II in the main event. UFC 272 is announced for March 5, 2022 but the main event is not clear at this point.
Let’s see when Oliviera could return to defend the title next time.