charles oliveira He is one of the enduring elite of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight division.
The former champion was supposed to have a rematch with the current champion and successor in a title match, but islam mahachev, at UFC 294 in October 2023. Unfortunately for Oliveira, he suffered a severe cut above his eye during training, resulting in his withdrawal from the match.
Oliveira, 34, expects to be the next contender even after the fight with Makhachev. Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 next month (Saturday, April 13, 2024). But lately, talks have been heating up between the champion and the former interim titleholder. dustin poirierI would like to compete in June 2024.
“To be honest, I don’t even think about it,” Oliveira told MMA Mania. “This is information that comes from the Internet, and people talk a lot on the Internet. I don’t worry about that. I know I’m next in line. So, that’s the thing.”
If that title fight happens, it would likely delay the rollout to the next contestant coming out of UFC 300. It doesn’t matter whether the winner of Oliveira vs. Tsarukian remains or who is eliminated along with Baddest Mazarf Carr (BMF).title between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway.
At the end of the day, Oliveira isn’t worried about the winner of that fight taking away his chances either.
“Holloway is a really good guy and moves well,” Oliveira said. “He has a good moving type of game, but Gaethje also has strong hands. If Holloway gives him a chance, Gaethje will definitely win this fight. They’re both very good.”
Oliveira must get past Tsarukian before getting the rematch he wants, but the high-profile contender is confident he is no match for his Brazilian opponent. In theory, if Oliveira had locked up the title fight, there would have been no real reason for him to fight Tsarukyan. He last fought in June 2023 at UFC 289, a first-round technical knockout win over Beneil Dariş that forced him to stay on the shelf much longer than he would have liked (see highlights please).
“If I was going to wait for the title, I would only fight at the end of the year. I don’t want to wait too long for a fight,” Oliveira said. “It’s going to be a wait of almost a year. That’s why I took on this challenge.
“For sure, he (Tsarukyan) needs to be a confident man,” he continued. “He needs to focus. He deserves respect all over the world, but I’m not worried about what he thinks. I’m just focused on what he does in the cage. There is.”
Check out the latest and greatest products UFC 300 Fight card and rumored clicks here.
