Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira was forced out of his UFC 294 title fight with champion Islam Makhachev after receiving a ‘large and deep cut’ during a morning training session while preparing for the fight.
“It happened in the morning of the day. Silly move. Basically a takedown defense. I was training and ended up having head butting there,” Oliveira explained to The MMA Hour.
When the cut first happened, Oliveira thought that it would be okay and that he’d be able to fight Makhachev. He found out that it was much more serious than he first thought after talking with the doctor who evaluated the laceration.
“We’re fighters. We’re kind of jaded. We always think, when it happens, it’s not that serious, we’re going to bounce back, this is nothing, everything is going to be okay,” said Oliveira. “It really dawned on me and that coin hit when I heard the doctor say, ‘this is not only a large cut but is also a deep cut. We’re not going to have enough time’ and it dawned on me when he said, ‘any hit there would basically split that thing open. That’s when I found out it was serious,”
Makhachev instead fought featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and knocked “The Great” out in the first round of the rematch. Oliveira still wants a rematch of his own with Makhachev and believes he’s next in line.
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“They (the UFC) know who I am. They know what I’m all about. They know that I’m going to train to become a champion,” Oliveira said. “I’m training and I’m getting ready for it. They know what I’m all about. I don’t fight for money. I fight to make history and I fight for my legacy. I’m going to continue to train, continue to get prepared. Try to get up to 100 percent just like I was right before the fight. When I’m 100 percent I’ll be ready to fight.”
“I want the belt. Whoever’s got that belt, it doesn’t matter who has it, I want that belt,” Olivera continued.
“Whoever the UFC says is going to fight, is going to fight. Everybody knows I’m next. I’m first in the rankings, coming off a great win, and ready to fight like I was before. I was ready for that fight until it (the cut) happened, and I’m next in line.”
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/charles-oliveira-everybody-knows-im-next