The hypothetical fight for the lightweight belt between Islam Makhachev and Justin Gaethje is not something that Charles Oliveira is in favor of considering.
During the previous week, Makhachev made a public announcement on X regarding his three-fight strategy for the coming year. At 155 pounds, he criticized a number of potential competitors and wrote the following:
“June 8 UFC PPV vs Gaetje, November UFC MSG vs Olivera/Arman, February 2025 vs Anybody Inshallah.”
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“The Highlight” had an outstanding 2023 season, beginning with a victory against Rafael Fiziev in the Fight of the Night at UFC 286 and culminating in a head kick that was so flawless that it knocked out Dustin Poirier at UFC 291.
Oliveira is not of the opinion that he is the most formidable candidate for a shot at Makhachev’s title, despite the fact that many others hold this belief. One of the things that ‘do Bronx’ said in a recent interview with MMA journalist Diego Ribas was as follows:
“I was informed that [Makhachev] was recovering from an injury,” I said. The fact that all of these men are still learning how to play the game is one of the most important things that I’ve discovered… Perhaps this fight with Justin Gaethje will take place; it is possible that it will. To tell you the truth, I don’t believe that. The argument, in my opinion, is one that does not make any sense. However, there is nothing else that can be discussed. It was explained to me that he was merely worried about the future…”
Arman Tsarukyan is confident that Charles Oliveira’s jiu-jitsu won’t be effective at UFC 300
During the UFC 300 event, Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan are scheduled to compete against one another in a fantastic lightweight bout.
Oliveira is widely considered to be one of the most dangerous Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners in mixed martial arts (MMA), and he currently owns the record for the most submission victories in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). However, Tsarukyan, who is also a skilled grappler, is certain that Oliveira’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will not be successful when the two of them face each other.
Following a spectacular knockout victory against Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin in the previous year, the Georgian fighter is currently riding a wave of confidence at this point in his career. In a recent interview with Daniel Cormier, Tsarukyan provided an explanation as to why he is certain that he would be able to counteract Oliveira’s ground game. He stated the following:
“If we are going to do jiu-jitsu like without ground-and-pound, of course, he maybe can like get any submission, but when you punch someone, he can’t think about like, ‘Oh, I have got to get his arm or anything.’ It is necessary for him to defend himself.
He went on to say:
“You’ve got to [beat him up for] like 15 to 20 minutes and then when he gets tired you can finish, but in the first two rounds it’s almost impossible to choke [a] high level fighter.”
