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Charles Oliveira has given his thoughts on making his way up through the UFC's male pound-for-pound rankings to No.5.
For many years now, we've seen Charles Oliveira enjoy the highest of highs and lowest of lows across multiple weight classes. In the present day, however, it appears as if the man known as 'Do Bronx' has finally cemented his legacy as one of the very best of his generation.
The fact that he was able to win the UFC lightweight championship certainly helped. But it was his submission win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 that further confirmed what many already knew: that the Brazilian is a true champion.
After it was confirmed that he'd been moved up into the top five of the male pound-for-pound rankings, Charles Oliveira couldn't hide his joy. In an Instagram post, the 155-pound titleholder wrote:
"Jeez God look where we've come and it's just the beginning just gratitude. If your faith is the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains. Number 5 in the world."
The four men ranked above Charles Oliveira go as follows: Kamaru Usman (welterweight champion), Alexander Volkanovski (featherweight champion), Israel Adesanya (middleweight champion) and Francis Ngannou (heavyweight champion).
Who will Charles Oliveira defend against next?
There are quite a few contenders in the race to challenge Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title. While plenty of fans and pundits want to see Khabib Nurmagomedov come back and try to reclaim, 'The Eagle' is content with sitting back and enjoying his retirement.
Justin Gaethje is viewed by many as the number one contender after he was able to knock off Michael Chandler in an absolute war at UFC 268 last month. However, he isn't the only one in the mix, with the winner of Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush also having a good case.
It seems likely Gaethje will receive the next shot, with the winner of Makhachev vs. Dariush challenging the champ later in 2022.
The wildcard, though, is the lingering presence of Conor McGregor. 'The Notorious' Irishman wants the title, Charles Oliveira wants to defend it against all comers and the UFC knows how lucrative that showdown could prove to be.
