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Islam Makhachev walked through Charles Oliveira to clinch the UFC lightweight championship in Abu Dhabi this past October, and “do Bronx” wants another shot at the Russian champion after a recent knockout over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289.
For Diego Lima, head coach and manager for “do Bronx” at Chute Boxe, that is the fight to make next for both 155-pounders since Oliveira’s past four wins were stoppages against top-ranked lightweights Dariush, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler.
“Charles is the No. 1 in the ranking,” Lima said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “If you look at the top 5, Charles is No. 1 and he’s beaten the other four in absurd fashion. There’s no other fight to make, there’s no logic. Charles has beaten those four overwhelmingly. It’s not about wanting [the rematch], it’s logic. Makhachev is the fight.”
UFC head Dana White did not go on record at the post-fight press conference in Vancouver when asked whether or not the Brazilian would face Makhachev for the throne next, and Lima knows that anything can happen in the company.
“Now, would we do another fight before? I don’t know,” Lima said. “Poirier gave up a shot at the belt, fought [Conor] McGregor and then came back for the belt. Why am I saying that? It looks like McGregor isn’t excited about fighting Chandler. And why did he say that? Maybe he liked Charles’ fight and is excited about that? Who knows.
“Maybe we do a fight at 170 with the [lightweight] title shot guaranteed for next year in Brazil? We know it’s a Fight Night this year [Nov. 4 in Sao Paulo], but it might be a numbered card early next year in Brazil. Charles deserves a belt in Brazil. It’s Charles’ dream to fight in Brazil And I think he deserves that.”
Unlike Oliveira, Lima said he has watched his protege’s defeat to Makhachev many times. He agrees with the former lightweight kingpins when he says he didn’t recognize Oliveira inside the cage.
“I know it’s hard to hear that, but it wasn’t Charles there,” Lima said. “He wasn’t alright. I don’t think it’s cool when someone loses and starts giving excuses. It wasn’t Charles’ day, it was Makhachev’s day. Congratulations to him. Nothing we had planned for him was done and it wasn’t because Makhachev was one step ahead, it just didn’t happen. We’ll train and go there to win [the rematch].”
“I can’t say, ‘Look, we’ll change our strategy’, because we didn’t do our strategy,” he continued. “I believe in the strategies we have. I’m not taking anything away from Makhachev. Makhachev is a badass. All I’m saying is that Charles wasn’t on a good day, unfortunately.”
And what if Oliveira is able to impose what they have planned for Makhachev when they meet again inside the cage? Lima foresees another stoppage on Oliveira’s UFC record.
“It’s a knockout,” Lima said. “It’s funny that people say, ‘But Charles has the most submissions [in UFC history],’ but the fight starts on the feet and we have a lot planned for the striking — and it continues when we go to the ground. Chandler went down and Charles got the TKO. Charles could have gone for the mount and a submission. Charles is very strong. He’s attacking so well. That’s why I really believe in a knockout — but when they go down, then we have a submission.”
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