“I’m not worried about that. I know that I’m the next in line.”
Charles Oliveira is one of the Lightweight division’s perennial elites in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The former champion was supposed to get his title fight rematch against the current champion and successor, Islam Makhachev, at UFC 294 in October 2023. Unfortunately for Oliveira, he suffered a nasty cut over his eye in training, resulting in his withdrawal from the bout.
Oliveira, 34, still expects to be next in line for Makhachev after his fight against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 next month (Sat., April 13, 2024). However, talk has recently heated up between the champion and former interim titleholder, Dustin Poirier, wanting to fight each other in June 2024.
“I don’t even think about that, to be honest,” Oliveira told MMA Mania. “This is information that comes from the internet, and people talk a lot on the internet. I’m not worried about that. I know that I’m the next in line. So, that it’s.”
If that title fight were to be made, it would delay things for the next contender, who will come out of UFC 300. Whether or not that remains the Oliveira vs. Tsarukyan winner or whoever walks away with the Baddest Motherf—ker (BMF) title between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway.
Ultimately, Oliveira isn’t worried about the winner of that bout stealing his opportunity either.
“Man, Holloway is a really nice guy, and he moves a lot,” Oliveira said. “He has a type of game that he moves a lot, but Gaethje also has a strong hand. If Holloway gives the opportunity, Gaethje for sure will win this fight. Both are very good.”
Oliveira has to get through Tsarukyan before that desired rematch, and the rising contender is confident he’ll be no match for his Brazilian counterpart. In theory, if Oliveira had his title shot locked up, there would have been no real reason for him to take the Tsarukyan fight. He just would have had to sit on the shelf for far longer than he’d prefer, last fighting at UFC 289 when he earned a first round technical knockout over Beneil Dariush in June 2023 (watch highlights).
“If I was going to wait for the title, I would fight only at the end of the year, and I don’t like to wait too much to fight,” Oliveira said. “I would be waiting for one year almost. So, that’s why I accepted this challenge.
“For sure, he (Tsarukyan) needs to be a confident guy,” he continued. “He needs to be focused. He deserves all the respect in the world, but I’m not worried about what he’s thinking. I’m just focused on what I’m gonna do inside the cage.”
To checkout the latest and greatest UFC 300 fight card and rumors click here.