It doesn’t sound like the lightweight champ has much interest in his opponent’s trash talk ahead of their title fight on May 7.
It sounds like the UFC lightweight champion has had enough of trash talk. Just a few days ahead of his title fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, Charles Oliveira claims to be solely focused on his performance and it seems he’s wishing that the challenger would do the same.
In an interview with Super Lutas’ YouTube Channel, ‘Do Bronx’ criticized the ‘Highlight’’s behavior—even while claiming that the talking isn’t getting under his skin. To back it all up, Oliveira also took the opportunity to tell the world how he is not a unidimensional fighter anymore. He’s not afraid to take on Gaethje on the feet.
“People want to make something out of nothing. The ones that have faced me and lost their opportunity want to keep talking so they stay relevant. It makes no difference what they say or don’t say. What makes a difference is how bulletproof my mind is and how badly myself and my team want this.”
“Charles Oliveira is an MMA fighter. What’s MMA? It’s a well-rounded athlete,” Oliveira explained. “He can muay thai, box, wrestle and has cardio. He can do it all. He’s not that guy who joined the UFC 11 years ago, the guy who was just a jiu-jitsu fighter. Today, Charles is an MMA fighter. Stop talking sh-t and do it. That’s the way it is.”
In his last outing, Oliveira (32-8-1 NC) made his first successful title defense when he submitted Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. The victory put the 32-year-old on a 10-fight streak, which includes wins over notable names in the division, such as Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee.
UFC 274 is scheduled to take place in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 7. Alongside the lightweight main event the card is set to feature a women’s strawweight title fight rematch between current champ Rose Namajunas and the woman who beat her to win the first title belt at 115 lbs, Carla Esparza.