Tag: Charles Oliveira

Khabib Nurmagomedov set to finish training Islam Makhachev for UFC 294 title fight: ‘He’s gonna be here’

Khabib Nurmagomedov set to train Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 title fightDespite taking a distinct step away from the coaching side of the sport in the last year, former undisputed lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to be on site in the remaining two week of teammate, Islam Makhachev’s training camp – to help prepare the current champion for his rematch title defense against Charles Oliveira […]

Khabib Nurmagomedov set to train Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 title fight

Despite taking a distinct step away from the coaching side of the sport in the last year, former undisputed lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to be on site in the remaining two week of teammate, Islam Makhachev’s training camp – to help prepare the current champion for his rematch title defense against Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 next weekend.

Nurmagomedov, a former undisputed lightweight champion himself and staple at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, guided training partner and close friend, Makhachev to the vacant lightweight throne back in October of last year, with the latter submitting former champion, Oliviera with a second round arm-triangle submission in. 

However, electing against travelling with Makhachev for his February title defense against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 back in February, Nurmagomedov had taken a further step back from the sport he himself had retired from back in 2020.

Khabib Nurmagomedov set to train Islam Makhachev for UFC 294 title fight

And yet to make a return to corner work for Makhachev ahead of UFC 294 next weekend against Sao Paulo finishing ace, Oliveira, Nurmagomedov has been confirmed as travelling to the Middle East to help Makhachev put the finishing touches on his training camp.

“He (Khabib Nurmagomedov) will come tomorrow, train with us in the camp,” Islam Makhachev told ESPN MMA during a recent interview ahead of UFC 294. “He’s not going to be my corner coach, but he will be here to help… we come here, like 40 guys, the whole team. I don’t know fight day where he’s going to be, but next two weeks, he’s gonna be here.” 

“I miss the time when we were training together, when he (Khabib Nurmagomedov) had fight, when I had fight,” Islam Makhachev explained. “But when he become coach like two years, one year ago, he pressure us very hard, you know? We did drills, almost ten rounds sparring. And after all this work, after one and a half hours, he says, ‘Okay, now five rounds grappling.’”

Can Khabib Nurmagomedov again guide Islam Makhachev to success at UFC 294?

Islam Makhachev slams Charles Oliveira’s claim that the Abu Dhabi setting for UFC 294 is ‘Unfair’

Islam MakhachevReigning UFC lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev didn’t take kindly to Charles Oliveira’s claim that the Abu Dhabi setting for their long-awaited rematch is unfair. On October 21, ‘Do Bronx’ will attempt to regain the 155-pound title when the pair step inside the Octagon at UFC 294. Emanating from the UAE, Oliveira expressed his frustration […]

Islam Makhachev

Reigning UFC lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev didn’t take kindly to Charles Oliveira’s claim that the Abu Dhabi setting for their long-awaited rematch is unfair.

On October 21, ‘Do Bronx’ will attempt to regain the 155-pound title when the pair step inside the Octagon at UFC 294. Emanating from the UAE, Oliveira expressed his frustration over the bout taking place on Makhachev’s turf during a recent interview.

“[I] don’t necessarily think it’s fair, but it’s the game,” Oliveira told James Lynch. “You know, that’s where the champion is. He calls the shots, but I’m coming back for my belt.”

Getting wind of Oliveira’s comments, Islam Makhachev snapped back, letting it be known that he did not pick the location. He also reminded the former champ that he willingly went into hostile territory in February for a title tilt with featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.

“Charles, I asked to fight in U.S. in the summer, but UFC has other plans,” Makhachev wrote on X. “I am a UFC fighter like you, never set the conditions for the UFC and fought where they offered, my last fight took place in Australia at the challenger’s backyard, simple, everything you say makes no sense.”

‘Do Bronx’ Was Offered a Rematch with Islam Makhachev in Brazil

Islam Makhachev does not hail from Abu Dhabi, but the territory has become known for heavily favoring Muslim fighters, giving them somewhat of a home-field advantage. The rematch with Oliveira will represent his fourth time competing in the UAE capital during his career.

Not long after their first fight in October 2022 where Charles Oliveira succumbed to a second-round submission, the UFC offered ‘Do Bronx’ an opportunity to run it back in his home country of Brazil. The bout was expected to take place at UFC 283 in January, but the three-month turnaround was entirely too short for Oliveira to comfortably accept. That ultimately led to Makhachev moving forward with the fight against Volkanovski at UFC 284.

Do Bronx’ finally made his return to the Octagon over the summer, scoring a stunning first-round knockout against Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in June to reassert himself as the division’s top-ranked contender.

Joe Rogan touts Alexander Volkanovski as UFC’s No. 1 P4P fighter: ‘[Makhachev] lost that fight’

Alexander VolkanovskiLongtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan believes featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski belongs at the top of the promotion’s P4P rankings. Since making his UFC debut in 2016, few fighters have been as dominant as Volkanovski. Despite that, ‘The Great’ finds himself firmly posited in the No. 2 spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings following a contentious […]

Alexander Volkanovski

Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan believes featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski belongs at the top of the promotion’s P4P rankings.

Since making his UFC debut in 2016, few fighters have been as dominant as Volkanovski. Despite that, ‘The Great’ finds himself firmly posited in the No. 2 spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings following a contentious loss to reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 in February. Volkanovski suffered a unanimous decision defeat in his bid to become a two-division titleholder, but many fighters and fans believe he did more than enough to dethrone the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ in The Land Down Under.

That includes popular podcaster Joe Rogan who firmly believes that Alexander Volkanovski deserved to have his hand raised and as a result, belongs at the time of the coveted P4P list.

“He’s No. 1 pound-for-pound,” Rogan said on his podcast. “They have him as not pound-for-pound [No. 1 in the UFC] because he lost that fight [to Islam Makhachev]. I think you could make a real argument that he won that fight. I think he won the fight. In my mind, he won the fight” (h/t MMA Fighting).

The way Rogan sees it, ‘The Great’ did a better job of imposing his will and delivering damage throughout the five-round affair.

“He did more damage,” Rogan said of Volkanovski. “I think he imposed his skill set. It’s also insanely impressive that he goes up from [featherweight] to fight a massive [lightweight]. That guy is as big at [155 pounds] as anybody is, and at the end of the fight, [Volkanovski] is on top beating him up. He drops him, gets on top of him and had massive moments throughout the fight.”

Joe Rogan Believes Charles Oliveira Will Benefit From Volkanovski’s Performance Against Islam Makhachev

On October 21, Makhachev will return to defend his title against Charles Oliveira in a long-awaited rematch between the pair. ‘Do Bronx’ came up short in their 2022 meeting, suffering a second-round submission, but after seeing Volkanovski take Makhachev to the limit, a blueprint for success against the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ could give Oliveira an advantage when it comes to reclaiming the 155-pound title.

“You kind of see vulnerability in Islam after that fight with Volkanovski,” Rogan explained. “First of all, you see how good Volkanovski really is. F*cking animal. [But] it sort of gives an air of vulnerability with Islam where before people were like, ‘This guy’s unstoppable.’”

Following Oliveira’s incredibly impressive bounce-back victory against Beneil Dariush in June, Rogan expects a much different ‘Do Bronx’ come UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

“Looking at Charles versus Beneil Dariush, it’s like he’s back,” Rogan said.

Sean O’Malley backs Charles Oliveira to beat Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, call out Khabib Nurmagomedov for superfight

Charles Oliveira urged to call for title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov with a win at UFC 294Newly minted bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley has backed former lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira to defeat the reigning division titleholder, Islam Makahchev at UFC 294 next month – in the hope of seeing a trilogy rubber match between the duo. Oliveira, the current number one ranked lightweight contender and former division champion, is slated to make […]

Charles Oliveira urged to call for title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov with a win at UFC 294

Newly minted bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley has backed former lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira to defeat the reigning division titleholder, Islam Makahchev at UFC 294 next month – in the hope of seeing a trilogy rubber match between the duo.

Oliveira, the current number one ranked lightweight contender and former division champion, is slated to make his return at UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi, UAE, taking on prior foe, Makhachev in the pair’s championship rematch.

Returning to the winner’s enclosure since dropping a second round arm-triangle submission loss to the Russian back in October of last year, Sao Paulo native, Charles Oliveira stopped the surging, Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 back in June, landing a stunning opening round ground strikes TKO win over the Iranian-born grappler.

As for Makhachev, the American Kickboxing Academy staple successfully defended his lightweight crown for the first time back in February, landing a close, unanimous decision win over pound-for-pound best and featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski back in February at UFC 284.

Charles Oliveira urged to pursue Khabib Nurmagomedov superfight

According to O’Malley, however, he would love to see Oliveira secure his championship with a win over Makhachev – before setting up a trilogy rubber match, or a long-anticipated fight with the retired, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“I would love to see Charles (Oliveira) f*cking win [against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294],” Sean O’Malley said during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. “That would make for a huge trilogy. Maybe call Khabib (Nurmagomedov) out.” 

Retiring from mixed martial arts competition back in October 2020, Nurmagomedov, now 35 years old, called time on his undefeated tenure with a second round triangle choke submission win over former interim champion, Justin Gaethje. 

Winning lightweight gold against Michael Chandler the following year, Oliveira would go on to land victories over Dustin Poirier, and the above-mentioned, Gaethje in subsequent championship fights. 

Who wins at UFC 294: Charles Oliveira or Islam Makhachev?

Charles Oliveira unhappy Islam Makhachev fight taking place in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294: ‘I don’t think it’s fair’

charles oliveiraFormer UFC lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira speaks on Islam Makhachev taking place in Abu Dhabi, again. In just under a month, fans will be treated to a matchup between the two best lightweights in the world when Oliveira and Makhachev rematch. The bout will take place on October 21, almost a year to the day […]

charles oliveira

Former UFC lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira speaks on Islam Makhachev taking place in Abu Dhabi, again.

In just under a month, fans will be treated to a matchup between the two best lightweights in the world when Oliveira and Makhachev rematch. The bout will take place on October 21, almost a year to the day from the first fight and will be the main event of UFC 294.

Last time out, Makhachev took home the win, and the belt, after sinking in an arm triangle in the second round. Even though he was champion at the time, Oliveira had to travel to Makhachev’s backyard and will have to do so again.

Charles Oliveira talks traveling to Abu Dhabi again

Talking to James Lynch, Oliveira discussed the upcoming matchup and having to travel to Abu Dhabi again. ‘Du Bronx’ does feel that it is slightly unfair, especially considering the upcoming Brazil card, but is fully focused on regaining the title.

“With twelve years in the game, I just kinda learned how to play the game,” Oliveira began. “He knew that there was a UFC [event] in Sau Paolo, so I just wanted to shoot my shot and see if it would work, but here we are.”

“I don’t necessarily think it’s fair, but it’s the game. That’s where the champion is, he calls the shots. I’m gonna back for my belt, wherever that is. To be fair, all I want is to win. However it is, however I get it done. I don’t care. I just want my hand raised.”

The fight, however long it goes should be a fun one – Oliveira has made habit of putting on thrilling fights while Makhachev himself was recently a part of a brilliant fight with Alexander Volkanovski.

Charles Oliveira talks with James Lynch

Who wins in the rematch, Charles Oliveira or Islam Makhachev?

Exclusive: The Schmo praises Charles Oliveira’s ability to bounce back: ‘There’s something so special about him’

Charles OliveiraRenowned MMA journalist The Schmo would never bet against former UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira. On October 21, ‘Do Bronx’ will attempt to once again claim the 155-pound title as he challenges reigning champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 294, emanating from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Their highly anticipated title rematch […]

Charles Oliveira

Renowned MMA journalist The Schmo would never bet against former UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira.

On October 21, ‘Do Bronx’ will attempt to once again claim the 155-pound title as he challenges reigning champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 294, emanating from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Their highly anticipated title rematch will come almost exactly one year removed from their first meeting. On that night, Oliveira suffered a disastrous second-round submission loss to the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ but has since bounced back with a convincing first-round TKO against top-10 contender Beneil Dariush.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Dave Schmulenson, better known by MMA fans as The Schmo, spoke about Charles Oliveira’s impressive ability to come back from a devastating defeat, something that ‘Do Bronx’ has been doing throughout his entire career.

“If you look at Charles Oliveira, he’s the epitome of why combat sports are the greatest sports on the planet,” Schmulenson said. “He’s what makes the UFC brilliant. It’s that anyone can win on any given night and so many people… Look at all the dog fights. Look at the [Dustin] Poirier fight. Look at the [Justin] Gaethje fight. Look at the Michael Chandler fight. Everybody was writing off Charles Oliveira and he had moments in all those fights where you thought he’d get beat.

“For him to come, do what he does, finish fights, and do it in spectacular fashion. He’s got this aura about it. There’s something so special about him and even as I’ve interviewed him as The Schmo and we don’t speak the same language and there’s translators communicating, I’ve always felt an aura with him. A sense of confidence and this greater human achieving greater things and that’s why I say I would not doubt Charles Oliveira. I would not bet against Charles Oliveira because there’s just something so special about him.

“I’m very interested to see how this fight goes and I do know that Islam Makhachev is truly the real deal.”

Can Charles Oliveira Make Another Big Come Back at UFC 294?

Considered by many as the greatest lightweight in the history of the division, Charles Oliveira has seen his fair share of setbacks inside the Octagon. ‘Do Bronx’ has been finished eight times in his UFC career, but after dropping four out of six between 2015 and 2017, Oliveira saw a massive career resurgence, scoring 11 straight wins with only one of those victories coming by way of a decision.

During that run, Oliveira claimed the vacant lightweight title with a big win over Michael Chandler but tragically lost the belt on the scale after weighing in heavy for his UFC 274 scrap with Justin Gaethje. ‘Do Bronx’ went on to win the fight against Gaethje, but would come up short in his bid to reclaim the 155-pound crown against Makhachev at UFC 280.

Will Charles Oliveira solve the puzzle his second time around, or will the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ continue his reign of terror over the lightweight division?