Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has fired back at Belal Muhammad.
Oliveira was supposed to rematch Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi last weekend. However, just under two weeks before the event, Oliveira suffered a nasty cut above his eye and was forced to pull out of the fight.
Although the cut was a fluke, UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad criticized Charles Oliveira and claimed the Brazilian never attended to go to Abu Dhabi.
“Charles got what he wanted. He’s not fighting Abu Dhabi,” Muhammad said on Instagram. “As a fighter, you understand the game, right? The training is the hardest part. But the biggest fight of your life, the biggest rematch of your life. You get a cut 10 days before the fight in your eyebrow. Who are you training with, bro?
“I’ve been in the training room. I’ve seen it happen, right? Anthony Pettis before his fight with Dustin Poirier, one week before, he got split open, eyebrow cut to the core. I was like, ‘Why did this a week before the fight?’ The world didn’t know about it and Anthony got it surgically repaired, stitched up. It opened up in the fight but he still went in there and fought.”
Charles Oliveira fires back at Belal Muhammad
After hearing Belal Muhamamd’s comments, Charles Oliveira blasted the welterweight contender on The MMA Hour. On the show, Oliveira was asked about Muhammad’s comments and didn’t hold back as he blasted him.
“Man, I’ve been at this for 13 years. I didn’t come into the UFC yesterday. I’m going to tell you the real talk here. They wanna surfy my wave, that’s what’s happening. They just want to show off, they just wanna show up and make themselves known and seen and heard. Think about this, who would actually make up or cause a situation in which you have such a big and deep cut in the day of actually traveling? These dudes, listen, all they do is talk s**t,” Oliveira said about Belal Muhammad on The MMA Hour.
“That’s what they do all the time. At the end of the day, I don’t pay attention to them. For the UFC, when I told the UFC what happened and I actually explained to them the situation, the support I have gotten from the UFC, they understand who I am, they understand who Charles Oliveira is. They understand that I am already thinking about the training that I need to do, everything that I need to do to get back and everything that I need to do to become champion again. In reality, I really don’t give a damn about what people say. They’re gonna talk their talk. They wanna be who I am. They wanna be where I am,” Oliveira added.
As of right now, Belal Muhammad has yet to respond to Charles Oliveira’s comments. But, the Brazilian makes it clear he wants Islam Makhachev next as he believes he can win in the rematch.
