Charles Oliveira was climbing up the ladder to another title shot but the loss at UFC 300 Arman Tsarukyan put a halt to his momentum. Many would take a break to recuperate but Oliveira had different ideas. The International Fight Week is when he wanted back into the octagon. But it would appear those plans have now be thwarted by his own team.
Oliveira appeared in an interview with ‘Ag. Fight’ where he provided fans with an update on his return. He spoke about his fight with Arman Tsarukyan and why he won’t be fighting during the International Fight Week:
“I fought all three rounds and I did not sweat for a single moment so I left that fight wanting to fight. I wanted to fight in international fight week which is in June and Lima stopped me said, calm down, breathe. The team said take a breath so that is what I am doing. I am breathing, I am calm. But I want to fight in July or August.”
Oliveira stated that he felt he won the first and the third round against Tsarukyan. However, he was not one to dwell on the past and so, wanted to march on in a direction that would have put him on a collision course with the only, the notorious, Conor McGregor. But why did his team make him walk away from what MMA fans fondly call the “Red Panty Night”?
Well, the simple answer is that his team wanted him to take a breath and relax. Was it the right decision? Only time can tell. Defeats change people in the fight game. Regardless, this begs the question- who does Oliviera go for next?
So, what is next for Charles Oliveira?
Charles Oliveira is in an interesting position at the minute. He is ranked second in the 155-pound division. He has fought most fighters in the top 10 and has come out victorious more often than not. An interesting fight that could be made at 155 pounds for Oliveira is against number five ranked, Mateusz Gamrot.
‘Gamer’ is currently on a three-fight win streak with wins over the likes of Jailin Turner, Rafael Dos Anjos, and Rafael Fiziev. He does not have a fight booked at the time of writing. The fight could be a good way for Oliveira to get back into the title picture, and for Gamrot securing a win against a former champion will be a good way of inserting him into the title shot conversations.
Hopefully, fans get to witness Oliviera in action soon and back to his winning ways. The top 5 in the lightweight division are always one fight away from a title shot. And while it’s too soon to speculate or hope, as one might refer to it, we never say never.
