Charles Oliveira will look to recapture the UFC lightweight title this Saturday at UFC 280 when the promotion returns to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Oliveira first captured gold at UFC 262 in May 2021, defeating Michael Chandler via knockout in the second round of their highly-entertaining affair. One year later, ‘Do Bronx’ found himself stripped of the UFC title after a botched weigh-in ahead of his scheduled UFC 274 main event with Justin Gaethje. The fight proceeded as scheduled with Oliveira scoring a first-round submission over ‘The Highlight’ which earned him the right to once again compete for the lightweight crown. He just needed an opponent.
Enter the Dagestani destroy, Islam Makhachev. The protege of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is currently riding a 10-fight win streak and will be the man to challenge Oliveira’s claim to the lightweight title when the two warriors return to Yas Island. Since the announcement of the eagerly-awaited showdown, Islam Makhachev and his camp, including Nurmagomedov and manager Ali Abdelaziz, have been taking verbal jabs at Charles Oliveira.
OLIVEIRA vs MAKHACHEV! #UFC280 is LIVE TOMORROW on @ESPNPlus PPV! #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi @InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/nZpOWdAvSM
— danawhite (@danawhite) October 21, 2022
In an interview with another UFC Hall of Famer, Daniel Cormier on his YouTube Channel, ‘Do Bronx’ spoke through a translator to share his feelings on the disrespectful nature of Islam Makhachev and his camp’s comments during the build-up to their UFC 280 headliner.
“I do think it was very disrespectful. I think the way they sold the fight was a little too much. It’s from Islam, from Khabib, from the team. The way they sold this thing and the way they talked about it, it was too much. But you know what? I don’t really care what they say. I’m just doing my thing and at the end of the day, it’s going to be one-on-one. The fight is just one-on-one.”
“I think if you speak to anyone on my team, everyone’s basically going to say that I’m going to win and they believe in me. When you go to Islam’s team, they feel the same about him, but there’s a difference. Just the way they talked about it. The tone of voice, the delivery was not good. So, yes. I feel they disrespected me in that sense.”
Charles Oliveira Plans to Hunt Down Islam Makhachev in Round 1
With the perceived disrespect received by Islam Makhachev and his camp, Cormier asked Oliveira if he harbors any animosity towards his UFC 280 opponent.
“I think that is my differential. That’s my difference with other people. I think I’m a step ahead of these guys in that sense. I sincerely did not develop anything out there because I really don’t care about what people say. I mean, you just have to go out there to do your thing and I’m going to do my job and that’s to knock out Islam Makhachev in the first round.
“I’m a lion and I hunt all the time. I’m gonna hunt that guy first round all the time.”
