Charles Oliveira is oozing with confidence ahead of his vacant lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev in the UFC 280 main event in October.
Oliveira is widely regarded as the champion by fans and pros alike, despite losing his title after missing weight by only half a pound for his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, where he won by first round submission. He is currently riding an eleven fight winning streak, and is confident that he’ll improve it to twelve when he faces a tough stylistic matchup in Makhachev.
Charles Oliveira On Islam Makhachev
The Dagestani is arguably the best wrestler in the division right now and will likely play to his strengths come fight night, but Oliveira welcomes a grappling contest. He even offered to start the fight on the mat in a recent interview. During the UFC 280 press conference (as reported by MMA Fighting), Oliveira said that he will prove his doubters wrong for the umpteenth time in October.
“He’s dropping in on a wave, and that’s what he’s supposed to do,” Oliveira said. “But if you’ve seen my record, I’ve fought tougher people, and I’m here to prove that I’ll do it again. I’m here to fight. That’s what I will do, and you will know who is the champ once again.
“The ground is his turf so he will definitely try to do that, but if he does, will he want to do and bring down the best submitter in the history of the UFC? I’m not sure. The name of the champion is well known, and his name is Charles Oliveira. We’ve seen he is the type of fellow who tries to bring the fight to the ground, but that doesn’t hinder me at all. So I’m ready for everything that he brings.”
Do you think Charles Oliveira will beat Islam Makhachev to become a two-time lightweight champion at UFC 280?
