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The latest news to take the UFC world by storm has been the announcement of what is being dubbed as one of the most exciting fights in MMA. Charles Oliveira is all set to take on Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi for lightweight gold.
Considering the controversial decision of being stripped off his title and then his massive victory over Justin Gaethje, this seems only fair. However, fans have taken to social media to express their displeasure over certain details of the fight.
Here are five reasons why UFC fans don’t want Oliveira to fight Makhachev in Abu Dhabi:
#5. Unofficial home turf of Islam Makhachev
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In the world of sports, playing on your home turf can do wonders by way of providing you that extra dose of confidence, and combat sports are no different. The power of fans rooting for one of their own can never be underestimated.
History has shown that UFC fighters have outshined their adversaries in spectacular fashion while fighting amongst home fans. Although Islam Makhachev is originally from Dagestan, traditionally Abu Dhabian fans have always rooted for Dagestani fighters, possibly because of their cultural connection.
This makes Abu Dhabi Islam Makachev’s unofficial home turf. And going by fights like Pimblett vs. Vargas, where Pimblett, who was fighting in his home country, won the fight with a fantastic submission, things don’t look good for ‘do Bronx’.
#4. Islam Makhachev’s UFC record
Islam Makhachev made his UFC debut in 2015 and has since then amassed an incredible 10-fight winning streak out of 11 fights in the company. The man clearly deserves praise for stacking up such a phenomenal record so far.
Yet, despite what the numbers show, when we take a closer look at Makhachev’s record, things appear different. Of his 10 wins, only two of his former opponents are currently ranked fighters in the UFC - Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker.
Contrast that with Oliveira’s record and we find that ‘do Bronx’ is currently on an 11-fight win streak. But there’s more! Oliveira has fought some of the biggest names in the lightweight division and still recorded his winning streak.
So when fans look at it from this perspective, we have to ask ourselves the question - Has Islam Makhachev really earned his title shot?
#3. Alexander Volkanovski’s debut
After decimating Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway at UFC 276, Alexander Volkanovski proved to the MMA world that he is, currently, the best featherweight fighter in the UFC. Thereafter, Volkanovski stated his intentions of scaling up and heading to the lightweight division.
The manner in which Volkanovski cleared out the entire featherweight division has certainly earned him a shot at the lightweight title. However, with Islam Makhachev being chosen as Oliveira’s opponent to claim the vacant UFC lightweight title, this puts the breaks on Volkanovski’s title shot.
After all, Volkanovski has a richer record in comparison to Makhachev, albeit in a different weight class. Since the fight is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi, fans feel Oliveira vs. Volkanovski will still come across as a more unbiased fight, as neither man is fighting on their home turf.
#2. Oliveira vs. Makhachev, Brazil
Despite facing the massive disappointment of being stripped of his title due to a highly controversial weight-cutting decision, Charles Oliveira successfully defeated Justin Gaethje in the latter’s home state of Arizona. This is a truly big achievement on the part of ‘do Bronx’ and he should be appreciated for it.
However, when the UFC decided to host Oliveira vs. Makhachev in Abu Dhabi, it seemed like anything but appreciation.
To add to that, Oliveira is being made to go up against a fighter who hasn’t fought big names like he has had to in order to become the lightweight champion. No doubt Islam Makhachev is a brilliant fighter with a promising future, but fans are asking the question, has Makhachev earned his title shot?
So, if the UFC has decided to go ahead with Oliveira vs. Makhachev, the least they can do is to have the fight in Brazil. While one can argue that this may be an advantage for Oliveira, the fact is, the man deserves some leverage after securing a huge win despite the odds being stacked against him.
#1. Biased judging in Abu Dhabi
In a recent interview with Ag Fight, Charles Oliveira’s head coach Diego Lima spoke against the fight taking place in Abu Dhabi. Lima has reason to believe that the fight taking place on the Fight Island would be detrimental to ‘do Bronx’.
Lima backed up his claims with the example of Allan Nascimento, who made his debut in Abu Dhabi against Tagir Ulanbekov. Nascimento lost the fight to Ulanbekov via split decision, something that Lima strongly opposes.
Lima said that there were commentators, former fighters, and people from the organization who felt Nascimento had won the fight.
In addition, Lima agrees that a fight in Brazil might be disadvantageous towards Islam Makhachev. Still, he has said that Oliveira’s team is open to having the fight in a location that is neutral to both fighters.
Whether or not the venue changes, one thing is for certain - Fans of Oliveira unanimously agree that in Abu Dhabi, the fight is in danger of witnessing a biased judgment against ‘do Bronx’.
