Makhachev won't return before March, Oliveira fight not happening at UFC 297

A UFC lightweight title fight will not headline the first pay-per-view event of 2024 after all.

UFC CEO Dana White said the rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira won't take place at UFC 297, according to ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

The news contradicts MMA journalist Ariel Helwani's report Saturday that the promotion planned to book Makhachev-Oliveira 2 as the main event of that card, which is expected to take place Jan. 20 in Toronto.

Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told Okamoto he has informed the UFC that the 155-pound champion won't be ready to defend his belt until March at the earliest.

After Makhachev knocked out featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 in October, White said Oliveira was the front-runner to get the next title shot. Oliveira, a former lightweight champ, was initially scheduled to face Makhachev at that event before pulling out due to injury.

Though Makhachev-Oliveira 2 won't happen in January, it still appears set to be the next lightweight title bout. However, White told Okamoto that "anything is possible."

It's unclear what the UFC 297 main event will be. A vacant women's bantamweight title bout between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva is reportedly set for the card.