Charles Oliveira had a stellar UFC career until his UFC280 match against Islam Makhachev, in which he was brutally defeated. Though this ended Oliveira’s incredible winning streak of 11 fights, he did not forget to give Makhachev credit.
Do Bronx has defeated Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier within five months before facing Islam. However, there has been a little controversy about Charles in the UFC 274 as he could not hold the lightweight title after weighing just half a pound more than the limit. So it’s been a year of ups and downs for him.
The Brazilian’s last opponent Islam Makhachev too has been having a great run in the UFC. He hasn’t lost a single bout since 2016. They both had an 11-match winning streak when they met. Charles did not fail to give credit where credit was due to Islam.
In an interview with Super Lutas he shared some insights regarding that match.
“Against Makhachev, I didn’t feel any pressure,” said Charles.
Charles Oliveira reflects on the Makhachev fight. #UFC284 pic.twitter.com/241TtRuKUZ
— 𝙼𝙼𝙰 𝙼𝙰𝙵𝙸𝙰 ♞ (@MMA_MAF1A) December 22, 2022
“He was just better than me. I haven’t watched that fight back yet. It doesn’t make any difference to me. It wasn’t a bad night, it was just 15 bad minutes. Ten to 20 bad minutes. There’s nothing else to say. You know I always tell the truth. I already thought about it, but there’s no real explanation.” Charles added.
Charles didn’t make excuses. Instead, he said with all his heart that Islam was better that day and that he won because he was a good fighter.
“I know how much I trained. As far as the fight goes, what can I say other than that Islam was better than me. I wouldn’t change the camp nor the weight cut, I wouldn’t change absolutely anything. I don’t know exactly what happened, but Islam was better than me on that night.” Do Bronx expressed.
Oliveira is looking forward to taking a break and coming back next year with a fresh mind. It will be interesting to see who he fights next, as fans hope he can get back on winning track.
