Charles Oliveira is confident he will get the next lightweight title shot.
Oliveira was supposed to rematch Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 last Saturday, but just under two weeks out from the fight he suffered a cut that forced him to pull out. Alexander Volkanovski took the fight and lost by first-round knockout as Makhachev remained the UFC lightweight champion.
Since the event, who will get the next title shot hasn’t been confirmed. Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje both have claims for the next title shot, but the Brazilian is confident he will face Islam Makhachev next time out.
“Whoever the UFC says he’s going to fight; they’re going to fight. Everybody knows I’m next. First in the rankings, coming off of a great win, and ready to fight like I was before. I was ready for that fight until (the cut) happened, and I’m next in line,” Charles Oliveira said at The MMA Hour.
According to Charles Oliveira, the UFC hasn’t told him what the plan is yet, but he’s confident he will receive the next title shot against Islam Makhachev.
“No one has said anything. They know who I am, they know what I’m all about, they know that I’m going to train to become a champion. 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. So I’m going to continue to train, continue to get prepared and try to get up to 100 percent just like I was right before this fight. When I’m 100 percent, that’s when I’ll be ready to fight,” Oliveira said.
Charles Oliveira is coming off a first-round TKO win over Beneil Dariush back in June. Prior to that, he suffered a second-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev last October in Abu Dhabi.
