Charles Oliveira’s coach Diego Lima thinks the UFC got nobody else to match with Islam Makhachev now that Arman Tsarukyan has been suspended.
There’s nobody else but Charles Oliveira
Speaking to AgFight, Lima said the UFC has ensures to repay Oliveira’s impact and contributions by listening to what he wants. And now, what “Do Bronx” wants is to run it back with Makhachev. With “Ahalkalakets” out of the picture, Lima is certain Oliveira is the next best matchup for the reigning champion.
“They [UFC] really like Charles, they want the best for Charles and I certainly made it clear that we wanted to return to the belt path,” Lima said. “Both Charles and I want the belt. Now with Arman suspended, there would be no name other than Charles Oliveira.”
“Charles is second in the ranking, and if you look at the rankings, there’s no one to fight with Makhachev,” he pointed out. Poirier just fought, Gaethje also got knocked out. So the truth is that with Arman out of the game, I believe there is no one at 155 to fight Makhachev other than Charles. So it’s certainly what we want, it’s what Charles wants.”
It makes sense
Looking at the lightweight division’s landscape, it appears that Charles Oliveira’s coach’s proposal makes sense. Tsarukyan is expected to be out for nine months due to suspension that stemmed from punching a fan at UFC 300. On the other hand, Makhachev plans to stay active and fight one more time before the current year ends.
That said, Charles Oliveira could get the nod from the UFC if Makhachev would insist on defending his lightweight title once again as “Do Bronx” is the only one who is medically cleared to fight at this point. However, the idea is likely to be still reviewed thoroughly by the UFC matchmakers as Oliveira is coming off a loss to Tsarukyan.