Charles
Oliveira will have a chance to regain the lightweight crown
when he meets Islam
Makhachev at
UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21.
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Diego Lima, Oliveira’s coach, dismissed the idea that the time zone
difference and a long flight played a role in the Brazilian’s loss
to Makhachev in their first meeting, which was also in Abu
Dhabi.
“Charles is a guy who hardly feels jet lag, he adapts to the time
zone very quickly. Every individual reacts differently, and Charles
adapted well to Abu Dhabi,” Lima said. “If we were fighting in
Mexico City, for example, we would have to arrive much earlier due
to the altitude. In the case of Abu Dhabi, we didn’t need to arrive
so far in advance. Also, Charles doesn’t like being far away from
home.”
In his last outing, Oliveira defeated Beneil
Dariush at UFC 289 in Canada, a place where he had never won
before. Despite not being a local, “Do Bronx” had the support of
the Canadian crowd behind him on that night. Lima reflected on the
popularity of the former champion, attributing the number of fans
to his charisma and his down-to-earth personality.
“We were ‘kicked out’ of a shopping mall in Abu Dhabi because
everything stopped when he arrived. In another shopping mall in Rio
de Janeiro, we had to be escorted by security because we couldn’t
get through the fans,” Lima said. “People see Charles on the street
and stop their cars to take photos. I think this popularity is
because Charles is a real-life superhuman. He’s at the top, he
falls, he takes hits, he delivers hits, but he never changes his
simple way. He has charisma, he’s a unique guy, but he’s human. So,
this brings him closer to the fans, especially Brazilians, who are
a struggling people and have to fight every day.”
After his first victory against Oliveira, Makhachev defeated
Alexander
Volkanovski in a champion vs. champion matchup at UFC 284. It
was a contentious verdict that was disputed by many observers.
Regardless of the winner, Lima said that the fight will serve as an
example of how to approach the rematch.
“We watched the fight, and I believe Islam won clearly,” he said.
“We were able to study what Volkanovski did effectively that we can
replicate. Of course, Charles and Volkanovski are different in
every sense, but we identified the positive strengths of the
Australian in that fight and will adapt them to Charles’s
game.”