Charles Oliveira has recently shared his thoughts on the epic battle in the UFC 284 main event of Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski. ‘Do Bronx’, who was beaten by Makhachev at UFC 280, drew from his experiences to explain why ‘The Great’ fell short against the Dagestani.
Oliveira stated that Volkanovski needed to produce something extra special to become the lightweight champion. ‘Do Bronx’ did not go into detail about Volkanovski’s error, but stated that in a fight as close as the UFC 284 main event, ‘The Great’ needed to go ‘that extra step’.
Ahead of Charles Oliveira’s bout against Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 this weekend he was interviewed by Australian broadcaster MainEvent. ‘Do Bronx’ reviewed Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski and said this:
“It was a great war, a great fight. But in order to be a champion you need to do something else, [give] a little more, to take that extra step… That’s what Alex needed to do. He needed to do something else, one more thing. That extra thing to become a champion.”
Charles Oliveira’s last fight came against Islam Makhachev, who was able to put an end to the Brazilian’s thrilling 3-fight winning streak.
‘Do Bronx’ will make his highly-anticipated return against perennial lightweight contender Beneil Dariush in the co-main event of UFC 289. The winner of their clash could fight Makhachev for the title later this year.
Watch the interview below from 3:00:
Charles Oliveira reflects on his loss to Islam Makhachev
Charles Oliveira’s defeat to Islam Makhachev last year appeared to be the start of a new era of Dagestani dominance within the lightweight division.
Makhachev was able to secure the submission victory in round two of the UFC 280 main event, and many were surprised at the ease with which the now-lightweight champion defeated Oliveira.
Prior to the bout, ‘Do Bronx’ had defeated Michael Chandler via KO as well as Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje via submission in the space of 12 months. Oliveira appeared to be unstoppable until coming unstuck against Islam Makhachev.
Ahead of his bout with Beneil Dariush this weekend, the former lightweight champion has reflected on his loss to Makhachev. Charles Oliveira was candid in his response to ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, stating that he was ‘unhappy’ with the defeat. He said this:
“Purely and simply, I wasn’t there, that’s why I wasn’t happy… You said before you’re a fan of mine and you follow my career. Did you see 10 percent of me in there? I didn’t fight, every fight that I’ve had, even in defeats, you saw me get knocked down and get back up. You saw me bleed and always keep pushing forward. I wasn’t even there [against Makhachev]…”
Watch the interview below from 5:20: