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The UFC announced that former champion Charles Oliveira will take on Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on October 22. Although many consider 'do Bronx' the champion despite being stripped of his belt prior to UFC 274, the division stands without a champion and will see one crowned in October.
In a recent interview with The Schmo, Dominance MMA CEO Ali Abdelaziz claimed that Charles Oliveira was never the champion in his eyes. According to the manager, Khabib Nurmagomedov retired and simply let 'do Bronx' borrow the belt until Makhachev was ready to take ownership of it. He said:
"You know, everybody said Charles was the champion. I think he was just, Khabib let him borrow the belt for Islam to have it. You know, I don't think he was ever the champion."
Criticizing Oliveira's opposition in the last few fights, Abdelaziz said:
"Who he fought? Chandler. You know, a guy who [is] 2-2 in the UFC. Fight Poirier, I respect Poirier, [but] Poirier lost [to] Khabib too. Now he have two choice, fight Beneil Dairush or fight Islam. But Islam is gonna play with him and he's gonna show it's level to this game."
Abdelaziz stated that he believes Islam Makhachev is the best grappler on the UFC roster, followed by Beneil Dariush.
Watch the segment at 2:00 of the video below:
Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev have the longest active winning streaks in the division
The Dagestani is on a ten-fight winning streak and is currently ranked No.4, while the Brazilian is on an eleven-fight win streak and is ranked number one. Both fighters are wizards on the ground, and the bout will likely be a chess match between two different grappling styles.
Charles Oliveira is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, while Islam Makhachev grew up wrestling in Dagestan and is a former combat sambo world championship gold medalist. The biggest difference between the two fighters is their record and fighting style.
Oliveira sports a 33-8 record, while Makhachev boasts a 22-1 record to his name. His only loss came via knockout against Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in October 2015. Since then, the Dagestani has been on a tear. Oliveira's last loss came against Paul Felder at UFC 218 in December 2017.
Islam Makhachev has won 14 of his fights via finish, while Charles Oliveira has finished 30 of his fights. It's clear that 'do Bronx' is a finisher. He holds the record for most finishes and most submission wins in UFC history.
If he can overcome the immense challenge that is Makhachev, the Brazilian will tie Tony Ferguson's legendary 12-fight win streak at lightweight.
