Will he want to bring down the best submitter in the history of the UFC? - Charles Oliveira makes bold claims at UFC 280 press conference

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira made some bold claims at tonight’s UFC 280 press conference in London. Oliveira is scheduled to face Dagestani grappling savant Islam Makhachev for the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 280 on October 22nd.

Oliveira, who’s widely regarded as one of the best BJJ (Brazilian jiu-jitsu) artists to have competed in the sport of MMA, recently claimed that he’d be willing to start his MMA bout against Makhachev on the ground. During the UFC 280 press conference, Oliveira was asked about his aforesaid claims and whether he believes Makhachev would be willing to start the fight on the ground with him.

‘do Bronx’ replied by alluding to the fact that Makhachev is known for his brilliant ground game. While Oliveira acknowledged Makhachev’s grappling prowess, he suggested that it still wouldn’t be good enough against him. Proclaiming himself “the best submitter” in UFC history, Oliveira stated:

“Well, the ground is his turf. So, he will definitely try to do that. But if he does, will he want to do and bring down the best submitter in the history of the UFC? I’m not sure. So, the name of the champion is well-known, and his name is Charles Oliveira.”

Presently, Oliveira holds the record for the highest number of submission wins in UFC history at 16. The Brazilian MMA stalwart also boasts the highest number of submission wins in the UFC lightweight division’s history at 10 and in the UFC featherweight division’s history at 6.

Watch Oliveira discuss the topic at 17:10 in the video below:

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Daniel Cormier believes Islam Makhachev’s wrestling poses a unique threat to Charles Oliveira

In a recent edition of ESPN MMA’s DC & RC Show, former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier weighed in on the Makhachev-Oliveira showdown. Cormier, a longtime teammate of Makhachev at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy), pointed out that Makhachev opened as a 2-1 betting favorite against Oliveira.

Daniel Cormier indicated that this is because, unlike most other fighters, Makhachev isn’t afraid of following ‘do Bronx’ to the ground. Cormier opined that Oliveira’s penchant for constantly moving forward and pressuring his opponents might backfire in his fight against Makhachev. Furthermore, expounding upon the unique threat that Makhachev’s elite wrestling poses to Oliveira, 'DC' said:

“Islam's sticky, and when he gets too close he'll take him down. His top pressure is so heavy. They say wrestlers are the ones that can kill jiu-jitsu. I believe that is where the issue is going to be for Charles Oliveira, if there is an issue for Charles Oliveira."

Watch Cormier’s assessment below: