UFC bantamweight prospect Vinicius Oliveira is continuing to taunt recent title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov, as his push for a showdown with the Dagestani goes on.
Oliveira has made a sizable splash since arriving in the Octagon by way of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. “Lok Dog” has gone 3-0 on MMA’s biggest stage, most recently outpointing Said Nurmagomedov at the UFC Fight Night in Saudi Arabia this past weekend.
Now, the Brazilian has his sights on a different Nurmagomedov.
Oliveira has long expressed confidence when it comes to a future clash with Umar, who fell short of the title against Merab Dvalishvili last month in Los Angeles.
Post-fight on Feb. 1, Oliveira again targeted the Russian. And he doubled down on his statements during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned this week, suggesting that Nurmagomedov is afraid of facing “the Russian hunter.”
“(Nurmagomedov) is scared of me because he knows that I’m taller than him, I’m stronger than him, and I am an unpredictable fighter,” Oliveira said. “I’m a dangerous fight because I am good at stand up. I’m good on the ground. I’m good in all situations inside the fight.
“I don’t fear nobody,” Oliveira continued. “When he looks at my eyes he can see the demons inside. … I’m the Russian hunter.”
Nurmagomedov fell to his first defeat as a professional mixed martial artist at UFC 311, with the champ’s renowned pace and cardio doing the trick in the latter rounds to secure a decision victory. The Russian will now focus on bouncing back next time out.
Given his status as an unranked prospect, it remains to be seen whether the promotion will look to pair Oliveira up with the recent title challenger.