Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will be waiting a bit longer than planned for his opportunity to rebound.
In last outing, Charles Oliveira suffered his first defeat since 2017, with Islam Makhachev snapping the Brazilian’s 11-fight winning streak via second-round submission to win the title last October.
At UFC 288 on May 6, “Do Bronx” was targeting an immediate return to the title picture at the expense of in-form contender Beneil Dariush. Unfortunately, bad news emerged just weeks out from their planned pay-per-view co-main event.
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Charles Oliveira had been forced out of next month’s numbered card owing to an injury.
Charles Oliveira Reveals Cause Of Injury
Now a few days on from the disappointing news, Charles Oliveira has lifted the lid and provided more information on his decision to withdraw from the Newark-held event on May 6.
Speaking on Instagram, the former 155-pound kingpin revealed the physical problem that’s forced him out came during wrestling training. Oliveira noted that he’s attempted to fight through injuries before, but wouldn’t be making the same mistake this time around.
“I wasn’t able to train, I got injured during wrestling practice,” Oliveira said in Portuguese. “I tried to train, I tried to do everything I could, but we couldn’t, so we pulled out of the fight… I have to stay (away from training) for a few days so I can go back to training soon, and then we’ll reschedule the fight.
Soon after reports of the cancelation emerged, Dariush announced UFC 288 on June 10 as the new targeted date during an interview with The Schmo.
In his address on social media, Oliveira gave his take on the planned rearrangement, pointing to the presence of some of his teammates on the Vancouver-held PPV card.
“(Fighting at UFC 288) would be great because I would be fighting on the same night of two teammates, ‘Willycat’ (Daniel Santos) and Rolando (Bedoya), but God knows all things,” Oliveira stated. “We’ll continue working and stay focused.”
With that, it appears “Do Bronx” won’t have to wait too much longer for his attempt to return to the winner’s circle. And when he heads to Canada, Oliveira will be targeting the kind of display that left Justin Gaethje tapping out last May.