Justin Gaethje set to challenge Charles Oliveira for lightweight title at UFC 274
UFC 274 has now added its second title fight, and it has potential Fight of the Night written all over it.
The UFC lightweight championship will be on the line on May 7 as Charles Oliveira is set to defend his title against Justin Gaethje. A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed the news with MMA Junkie following an initial report from UFC broadcast partner ESPN.
UFC 274 was originally targeted to take place in Brazil. However, plans have since shifted back stateside, although the event does not yet have a confirmed venue or location.
Oliveira (32-8 MMA, 20-8 UFC) will look to defend the lightweight title for the second time. He recorded his first defense at UFC 269, taking out former interim champion Dustin Poirier in the third round with a rear-naked choke submission. This was on the heels of claiming the vacant title by defeating Michael Chandler in the second round via TKO at UFC 262.
Now, another former interim champion stands in his path.
On the heels of his Fight of the Night unanimous decision victory over the aforementioned Chandler at UFC 268, Gaethje (23-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will now get his second crack at the undisputed UFC lightweight title. The former interim champ previously claimed a piece of the title by defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, but failed to unify the title against then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254.
With the addition, the UFC 274 lineup includes:
Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka – for light heavyweight title
Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje – for lightweight title
Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont
Ariane Carnelossi vs. Loopy Godinez
