UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira feels he’s reeling in a new era in the division after he dispatched Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.
It wasn’t easy for Oliveira early, as he suffered some hard blows to the head from Poirier in the opening minutes. But, he was able to land some hard shots to the body that began to fatigue Poirier quickly.
After finding his rhythm with his grappling in Round 2, he was able to get Poirier’s back in Round 3 and sink in a standing rear-naked choke to earn the finish. Oliveira extended his UFC record with 15 total submission wins in his tenure with the promotion.
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov congratulated Oliveira on Twitter following the win, despite picking Poirier earlier in the week. During his UFC 269 post-fight press conference, Oliveira spoke about whether Nurmagomedov’s endorsement of Poirier motivated him and what it means to build his legacy.
“I don’t care what people think,” Oliveira said. “He was a great fighter, a great champion, he had his legacy. But now, history and legacy have a new name, and it’s Charles Oliveira. There’s no thought about [a fight with Nurmagomedov] getting away, it’s all that we could do.”
Charles Oliveira Will More Than Likely Face Justin Gaethje Next
After finishing Poirier, Oliveira is now looking ahead to another potential challenge in the form of former interim champion Justin Gaethje. Following his win over Michael Chandler at UFC 268, Gaethje called for the next title shot and appears to be in the driver’s seat for the next opportunity.
Oliveira and Gaethje have had their fair share of tension in recent weeks, with Gaethje questioning Oliveira’s heart if the two were to meet in the Octagon. However, Oliveira has silenced the doubters once again with his win over Poirier and will plan to do the same against Gaethje shortly.
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