“These guys hype things up and try to sell the fight with something they are not.”
Charles Oliveira can’t work out whether Justin Gaethje is coming or going.
One minute ‘The Highlight’ is labeling ‘Do Bronx’ an embarrassment to the lightweight division and the next he’s giving the Brazilian handshakes and hugs backstage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Oliveira, the reigning UFC lightweight champion, doesn’t think Gaethje is a bad guy but would like the Arizona native to stop pretending to be something he’s not.
“The guy (Justin Gaethje) is talking a bunch of crap the entire time, and when we meet face-to-face he says he has all the respect for me and what I do – and two minutes later he’s saying he’ll break my face and saying a bunch of stuff,” Oliveira said on MMA Fighting’s Trocacao Franca podcast.
“These guys hype things up and try to sell the fight with something they are not,” he added. “If you’re a humble guy, if you’re a respectful guy, you have to sell the fight that way. If you’re a guy that talks crap, you have to sell the fight talking crap the entire time – to my face and behind my back.”
Oliveira was last seen in action at UFC 269 where he defeated Dustin Poirier via submission to retain his lightweight title. The 32-year-old is on a ten-fight win streak and holds multiple UFC records including the most finishes (18) and most submission wins (15) in the promotion. He is currently #5 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.