One thing is certain: Charles
Oliveira will be one half of the next UFC lightweight title
bout.
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“Do Bronx” earned that right when he submitted Justin
Gaethje in the opening round of the
UFC 274 headliner after being stripped of the belt due to
missing weight one day prior. What’s still up in the air is who
Oliveira will face, along with the date and venue.
Shortly after Oliveira’s triumph, ex-lightweight champ Khabib
Nurmagomedov lobbied for training partner Islam
Makhachev to receive the next shot. Makhachev has won 10
consecutive fights at 155 pounds in the Las Vegas-based promotion
and is coming off a first-round stoppage of Bobby Green
at UFC Fight Night 202.
“Is there really a more interesting [fight] in the UFC at the
moment than Islam vs. Charles?” Nurmagomedov wrote on Twitter.
“Just bring these fighters to Abu Dhabi on Oct. 22. Let the
undisputed champion be determined.”
Dana White wouldn’t commit to Oliveira vs. Makhachev at the UFC 274
post-fight press conference, however. The UFC president still has
interest in having Makhachev square off against fellow contender
Beneil
Dariush after that bout fell through in February due to a
Dariush injury. Dariush has won seven consecutive outings at
lightweight in the UFC.
“Who doesn’t think Dariush and Islam is a great fight? It’s a f—ing
killer fight,” White said. “I would love to see that fight to see
who the No. 1 contender is, but I’m not gonna lie, after tonight I
wouldn’t mind doing Islam vs. Oliveira, either. We’ll see what
happens.”
While he is undoubtedly biased, Nurmagomed sees no need for
Makhachev to prove himself as the No. 1 contender.
“Why [should Makhachev have] to do a contender fight, if there’s no
champion in this division?” Nurmagomedov wrote.
Why @MAKHACHEVMMA
has to do contender fight, if there’s no champion in this division
@ufc
@danawhite— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib)
May 8, 2022