“I won’t make that mistake again,” Charles Oliveira regrets talking trash to Islam Makhachev and vows to backtrack in rematch
Charles Oliveira put on the worst performance of his career at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. However, he will rectify his mistakes on the return to the same venue at UFC 294.
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Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira (via Imago)
Charles Oliveira will fight for the undisputed lightweight title at UFC 294. The bout will be a rematch of last year’s bout at UFC 280. Charles Oliveira did not perform to the best of his ability, and Islam Makhachev starched him in less than 10 minutes. Leading up to the rematch, Oliveira looked back on that disastrous night in Abu Dhabi. Despite the result, he vowed never to repeat the same mistake.
Charles Oliveira said, “If you look at all of my fights, you will see that night I didn’t fight 10 percent of what I can do. I won’t make that mistake again” (H/T MMA Fighting). He also admitted to talking trash to Makhachev and his team. However, he will look to rectify those mistakes and capture the lightweight belt when he fights Makhachev once again at UFC 294.
Oliveira bounced back in his last bout against Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in Canada. Oliveira performed best in his career and starched Dariush in the first round. He rocked Dariush with a head kick and dropped him with strikes. Oliveira controlled Dariush on the ground and landed devastating ground and pound to end the bout.
On the other hand, Makhachev will look to put their rivalry to bed. His first title defense had a controversial decision. Many fans, including Joe Rogan, felt that Alexander Volkanovski did enough to defeat Makhachev. However, the judges didn’t see it that way. This time, Islam Makhachev wants to leave no doubt to anyone and will look to defeat Charles Oliveira dominantly.
Charles Oliveira competes for the title in front of enemy territory
The former lightweight champion will compete for his fifth title bout since May 2021. However, not one bout happened in Brazil. It all happened in front of the US or Abu Dhabi crowds. His first title fight came in Houston when he faced Michael Chandler for the vacant belt.
Once he captured the lightweight belt, his first title defense came against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. Oliveira defeated Poirier via submission in the third round. His next title fight came against Justin Gaethje. This fight happened in front of Gaethje’s home state of Arizona. Oliveira defeated Gaethje via submission in the first round.
Oliveira came to Abu Dhabi to fight Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title. However, in front of a sold-out Gulf crowd, he lost to the Dagestani fighter in a devastating fashion. He will now compete for his fifth title against Makhachev in the same place at UFC 294.
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Nidhin Shibu
(2536 Articles Published)