Charles Oliveira Defeats Beneil Dariush by 1st-Round KO in UFC ...

AP Photo/Chase Stevens

Charles Oliveira began his quest to reclaim the lightweight championship with a victory over Beneil Dariush in the UFC 289 co-main event.

Oliveira scored the win via first-round knockout on Saturday night.

Last year was a rough one for Oliveira, though some of it was through it his own doing. He was stripped of the 155-pound title ahead of his bout with Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 for missing weight.

Oliveira wound up beating Gaethje via first-round submission, but he would have to win his next fight in order to regain the championship. In the UFC 280 main event, do Bronx lost for the first time in nearly five years when Islam Makhachev submitted him in the second round.

In order to get back in the lightweight title picture, Oliveira was given the task of stopping Dariush. The 34-year-old from Iran has been steadily climbing up the ranks in UFC with eight consecutive wins entering Saturday night.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports called Dariush "the most avoided fighter in the UFC" because top contenders didn't want to risk potentially losing their spot in the rankings against an accomplished competitor looking for his big breakthrough.

"I'm not the champ anymore," said Oliveira, speaking through a translator, during Monday's UFC press conference. "That changes everything. I'm waking up early, I'm staying up late thinking about getting my belt back. It's always on my mind. Getting the belt back, that's my focus. That's my goal. With a good performance on Saturday, I'll be fighting for the title."

Saturday marked the biggest fight of Dariush's career. Oliveira is one of the most dominant fighters of his generation and holds UFC records for finishes (19) and submission wins (16).

The former lightweight champion was able to hold his own against Dariush. He's now potentially set up for a rematch with Makhachev.