Charles Oliveira issues final verdict on retirement rumors ahead of UFC Rio fight against Mateusz Gamrot

Charles Oliveira recently addressed rumors of his retirement ahead of his upcoming fight against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Rio this weekend. The Brazilian strongly dismissed the speculations and indicated that he's far from done.

Oliveira is undoubtedly among the most famous names on the UFC roster and is known for having the most finishes and most submission wins in promotional history. This weekend, Oliveira will step into the octagon opposite Gamrot for his 48th outing as a professional fighter. He has a professional record of 35-11, with 1 no-contest result on his resume.

In an interview with MMA Junkie (via translator), Oliveira rubbished rumors of his retirement and said:

"Look, listen, the retirement talk is in your guys' heads. I've never said anything about retiring. Not a moment I've talked bout retirement, but in every interview I get asked. I don't know if I'm fighting bad or if you guys want me to retire. I don't know what's happening. Every interview I give, people talk 'retirement, retirement.' At no point have I ever thought or contemplated about that, but all the questions are the same. I'm not thinking about it." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

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Dustin Poirier previews Charles Oliveira vs. Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Rio

Dustin Poirier recently shared his thoughts on the Charles Oliveira vs. Mateusz Gamrot fight. 'The Diamond' claimed that his American Top Team (ATT) teammate could surprise Oliveira with his striking skills and outgun the Brazilian on the ground.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Poirier broke down the upcoming lightweight matchup and said:

"With four-ounce gloves, even though we don't think of Gamrot as a power, one-hit puncher, he is... Gamrot's boxing game has improved so much over the past two years. I think he's going to surprise a lot of people."

He continued:

"When I think about fighting Charles, he is a very front and back fighter. You need to be more lateral. Gamrot needs to use footwork and be all the way in or all the way out. With a guy like Charles, he's long and strong in the clinch, and he uses it very well. He'll throw a front kick, then get into the clinch, smother your boxing. I think Gamrot, with his wrestling experience, he'd be able to pick where the fight goes. If he wants to stand up, he can do that. If he wants to go to the ground, he can take it there... Gamrot is a really good scrambler and wrestler. Don't stay on the straight line with Charles." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

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