Sorry Islam, but Dana White is giving Justin Gaethje next crack at UFC lightweight title

Charles Oliveira will defend the UFC lightweight title against longtime veteran Dustin Poirier in the UFC 269 pay-per-view (PPV) main event a week from Sat. night (Dec. 11, 2021) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The winner will move on to face Justin Gaethje, ranked one spot below Poirier at No. 2, at some point in early-to-mid 2022.

“Yup,” UFC President Dana White told the Jim Rome podcast (via MMA Junkie). “As long as everybody’s healthy and everything’s good, it should be him, coming off one of the greatest fights anybody’s ever seen in their life.”

That will come as disappointing news to fellow contender Islam Makhachev, who previously asked the promotion to stop giving title shots to old farts like Gaethje.

The 33 year-old “Highlight” has captured five of his last six and is fresh off a “Fight of the Year” candidate against Michael Chandler at UFC 268. Now it’s up to Oliveira and Poirier to produce a clean, decisive finish at UFC 269 for Gaethje to get his way.

We’ll get that answer in less than two weeks.