The lightweight division in the UFC is stacked but has no champion. Ilia Topuria will fight Charles Oliveira to decide who will get the title, but after that, who’s next? Well, Justin Gaethje wants to be next, but if things don’t go his way, he might retire, according to his agent.

Ali Abdelaziz, who is one of the biggest MMA agents in the world, declared in an interview with Submission Radio that Gaethje told him that he will “fight for the title” and if not, he will “hang up my gloves.“

Gaethje’s agent went on to say, “he won three of his last four, he saved the UFC two times. They needed him and he’s there.” The former interim lightweight champion is a UFC staple.

Ilia Topuria presents new challenges at 155

Islam Makhachev vacated the title as he is moving up to welterweight. This opened up endless possibilities at lightweight. Ilia Topuria was the king at 145 and moved up. He will face former champion Charles Oliveira in a barnburner at UFC 317.

All this opened up doors for Gaethje. ‘The Highlight’ faced Oliveira in the past when the Brazilian was champ. He ended up losing by submission, but he hurt Oliveira plenty of times prior to losing. If ‘Do Bronx’ beats Topuria, a rematch would cause fireworks.

As for Topuria, he is an undefeated knockout artist. Coming up from featherweight, ‘El Matador’ has racked up an impressive 16-0 record with 14 finishes. He knocked out Max Holloway, Alex Volkanovski, Josh Emmett, and Bryce Mitchell just to mention a few. His resume is impressive, but it was at 145.

Topuria vs. Gaethje is a super fight

Topuria is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Gaethje has been an elite fighter for years. He’s fought everyone. Topuria is a killer (6 KOs, 8 SUBs) and Gaethje has 21 finishes in 25 wins (20 KOs, 1 SUB). This fight spells PPV sells for the UFC.

While a rematch with Oliveira would be enticing, Topuria vs. Gaethje is something we haven’t seen before and their styles match up perfectly. However, it all depends on whether the UFC offers him the title fight or not. If they decide otherwise, ‘The Highlight’ might hang his gloves for good.

Charles Oliveira comes from 10 consecutive victories, the last of them being the underdog against Dustin Poirier (the same one who knocked out Connor McGregor) in which he defended his UFC Lightweight Championship. The Brazilian will now go for a new defense, the 11th consecutive victory and the 33th in his entire professional career.

His rival will be the tough American fighter Justin Gaethje, who in his last fight defeated Michael Chandler by unanimous decision on November 6, 2021 at UFC 268, a fight which was considered the Fight of the Night. His great performance allowed him to challenge Oliveira for the UFC Lightweight Championship, which of course he will try to win today, May 7.

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: fight information

Date: Saturday, May 7
Time: 10:00 PM (ET)
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Live Stream in the US: FuboTV (free trial)-Preliminary fights-

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Time by State in the US

ET: 10:00 PM
CT: 9:00 PM
MT: 8:00 PM
PT: 7:00 PM

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Storylines and Head-to-Head

Both Champion Charles Oliveira has a professional record in 41 fights of 32 wins (9 by KO and 20 by submission) 8 losses and 1 no contest, while challenger Justin Gaethje’s record in 26 fights is 23 wins (19 by KO, 1 by submission) and 3 losses. This is a clear sample of the strengths of each of them.

On the one hand, the champion has a high percentage of wins by submission (more than half of his wins), while Gaethje is a natural puncher with just over 80% of his 23 wins by KO and only 1 submission. It will clearly be a clash of styles.

Oliveirawill try to take the fight to the ground where he will try to take advantage of his advantage in grappling, where he feels more comfortable and has a clear superiority, while the challenger will have to try to stay on his feet where he will undoubtedly have the advantage thanks to the power of his fists. Obviously, he also tried to be careful, because although it is not his strong suit, Oliveira has 9 KO’s in his career and his fists can be dangerous.

How to watch or live stream Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje in the US

The preliminary fights of this UFC 274 will be broadcast in the US on FuboTV (free trial) in the United States. The main card, which include the main fight of the night between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje can be watched on ESPN+ PPV.

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Predictions and Odds

The Oddsmakers have a favorite for this UFC 274 fight. These are the odds according to Caesars: Charles Oliveira is the favorite to take the victory with -170 odds, while +145 odds will be for the Justin Gaethje’s victory.

Remember that if you live in New York, Las Vegas, Arizona, New Jersey, or any other state that allows regulated sports betting, you can bet for favorite in this fight game as well as all UFC 274 event through Caesars.

*Odds via Caesars

The Brazilian Charles Oliveira wants to continue his winning streak (he has 10 in a row) when he faces the tough American fighter Justin Gaethje in what will be a new defense of the UFC Lightweight Championship, which he successfully defended on December 11, 2021 against Dustin Poirier despite being the underdog in that fight.

The champion has a record as a professional in 41 matches of 32 wins (9 by KO and 20 by submission) 8 losses and 1 no contest. For his part, Justin Gaethje comes from winning his last fight on November 6, 2021 against Michael Chandler. His professional record in 26 fights is 23 wins (19 by KO, 1 by submission) and 3 losses.

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Date

This fight in the lightweight division for the UFC 274 between Charles Oliveira (who will defend his UFC Lightweight Championship) and Justin Gaethje will take place this Saturday, May 7 at 10:00 PM (ET).

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Time by State in the US

ET: 10:00 PM
CT: 9:00 PM
MT: 8:00 PM
PT: 7:00 PM

TV channel in the US to watch Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje

The fight between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje for the UFC Lightweight Championship in what will be the main event of this UFC 274 can be watched in the United States on ESPN+ PPV. The preliminary fights will be broadcast in the US on FuboTV (free trial).