Frank Hickman, coach of UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, believes that Charles Oliveira has the ability to surpass Khabib Nurmagomedov as the greatest lightweight in UFC history.
Oliveira heads into UFC 280’s main event againt Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title. ‘Do Bronx’ is the former champion of the division but was stripped of the title earlier this year for missing weight by 0.5 pounds. Many considered the Brazilian a journeyman in MMA due to his mixed performances in the octagon prior to 2017. However, Oliveira has now amassed a seriously impressive 11-fight winstreak.
Hickman recently appeared on Submission Radio to give his breakdown on the upcoming lightweight title bout. The Australian fighter’s coach made a bold claim in regards to Oliveira’s legacy and believes he’s well on his way to surpassing ‘The Eagle’:
“Khabib is great because he retired undefeated, but Charles had a rocky start, I think he was 8-8 at one point. People kind of see his early career and they say, ‘Oh well he lost to this guy, he lost to that guy,’ but some people don’t hit their strides until later in their careers.”
Hickman continued to praise Charles Oliveira’s recent performances by sayin:
“Nobody gives a damn what he did when he was losing, they care about what he’s doing now. He’s on a roll and he’s smoking people. I think the way he’s doing it and the way he’s shutting his naysayers up, he’s putting together an impressive resume.”
Catch the full interview on Submission Radio here:
Daniel Cormier praises Charles Oliveira’s confidence
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has praised Charles Oliveira for his mental strength as he heads to Abu Dhabi to face Islam Makhachev.
Cormier stated that UFC 280’s main event will likely hold a homecrowd advantage for Makhachev but believes that hasn’t fazed ‘do Bronx’ in the slightest. On the latest episode of Cormier’s podcast, 3 Rounds with DC!, the former champ-champ highlighted Oliveira’s calm and confident mindset heading into the fight:
“With Charles Oliveira, his confidence level is through the roof. I saw Charles Oliveira on Instagram today, walking with a white tiger. Dude’s at home. In Abu Dhabi. This is a hometown crowd for Islam Makhachev… This dude’s got cojones, this dude’s got big b**ls. He’s got big b**ls. He ain’t afraid of nobody.”
It’s no surprise that both fighters head into UFC 280 full of confidence. Oliveira and Makhachev are both riding on impressive winstreaks of 11 and 10 respectively and are putting them on the line for the chance to be crowned the 155-pound champion.
Watch the full episode of the podcast here: