LONDON – Charles Oliveira welcomes a grappling battle with Islam Makhachev in their vacant lightweight title fight at UFC 280.
Although Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) seemingly holds a sizable striking advantage over Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) going into the Oct. 22 headliner in Abu Dhabi, the Brazilian knows the perception that he might be inferior on the mat.
As the man who holds the most submission victories in UFC history, Oliveira seems to find that preposterous and said he’ll be happy to lock up with Makhachev if he so chooses.
“The ground is his turf, so he will definitely try to do that, but if he does, will he want to bring down the best submitter in the history of the UFC? I’m not sure,” Oliveira said through an interpreter at Friday’s UFC 280 press conference. “We’ve seen that he is the type of fellow who tries to take the fight to the ground, but that doesn’t hinder me at all. So I’m ready for everything that he brings.”
Oliveira, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, is currently riding an 11-fight winning streak. His involvement in title bouts began at UFC 262 in May 2021 when he knocked out Michael Chandler to claim the strap that had been relinquished by Khabib Nurmagomedov. “Do Bronx” subsequently submitted Dustin Poirier for the first defense of his reign.
But then Oliveira missed weight ahead of his scheduled title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 earlier this year and was forced to forfeit the gold. He went on to submit Gaethje, and UFC president Dana White promised he would be part of the next title fight. Oliveira has since campaigned for a showdown with Conor McGregor in his next fight, but he ultimately signed on for Makhachev.
No. 3 Makhachev, meanwhile, will bring a 10-fight winning streak into his first UFC title opportunity. The pupil of UFC Hall of Famer Nurmagomedov has been dominant outside of a lone loss in October 2015, racking up wins over the likes of Bobby Green, Dan Hooker, Arman Tsarukyan, and Gleison Tibau.
Oliveira is riding a strong wave of confidence on the heels of his run, and he will be ready to reclaim the strap he felt should’ve never been taken away.
“He’s dropping in on a wave, and that’s what he’s supposed to do,” Oliveira said. “But if you see my record, I’ve fought tougher people, and I’m just here to prove it. And I’ll do it again.
“The name of the champion is well known, and his name is Charles Oliveira.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
Charles Oliveira dares Islam Makhachev to take down ‘best submitter’ in history at UFC 280
