Oliveira Begins Elite Sparring For Holloway

Holloway famously pointed at the floor to knock out Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 and tried the same against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318. Oliveira is allegedly refining specific striking counters to ensure he maintains control—or lands the finishing blow—should Holloway call for a “throw down” in the dying moments of the fifth round. The winner of this clash will put themselves in a conversation for a title shot against lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.

Contenders

Arman Tsarukyan will be watching the Holloway-Oliveira result, given he wants the winner. Having already secured a split-decision victory over Oliveira at UFC 300, Tsarukyan knows a win over the victor makes a title shot that much easier. Tsarukyan made his debut at RAF 05 in Florida. He dismantled four-time NCAA All-American Lance Palmer with a 10-0 technical fall. Tsarukyan remains the No. 1-ranked lightweight contender and wants to be given a chance to prove it. 

“Well, maybe BMF title. I want the real title, but I don’t want to wait until then. Ilia, he fights once a year. Maybe he defends his title in June and says, ‘Okay, I’ll fight next year, in June.’ Then what can I do? I’m not that young to wait a lot, too. So, if they give me the BMF title, that would be great too. If Charles Oliveira wins, it’s going to be good. We’ve got a story. [I’ll] just get that belt, and then the real belt,” Arman stated